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And The Winner Is… Chef John Currence Congratulations to Mississippi’s Chef John Currence! He beat out 14 other prestigious chefs from across the nation to be crowned King of American Seafood at the 2008 Fifth Annual Great American Seafood Cook-Off! It was a spectacular battle between great culinary talents at the Louisiana Foodservice EXPO, but at the end of the two day contest, only Chef Currence became seafood royalty. And that’s no title to take lightly. After all, you can’t crown just anybody King of American Seafood! Chef John Currence hails from Mississippi, where he is chef/owner at the acclaimed City Grocery in Oxford. His ‘fin’-tastic winning dish completely epitomized the essence of Mississippi cuisine and proved he is no ‘fish-out-of-water.’ The judges were ‘hooked’ by his Mississippi Redfish Courtboullion with Seafood Dirty Rice as he didn’t ‘scale’ back on authentic, unique flavors. “Being home, cooking at home, and winning this award in New Orleans meant so much to my family here. Really though, what stands out about this competition was the great camaraderie that developed among the chefs. There were a lot of talented chefs in the room, and I was proud to be among them,” Currence said with a gleam. But, there was plenty of stiff competition. The first day of the contest found chefs representing Alaska, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Texas and a chef from Washington D.C., representing the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), all vying for just five places to compete in the second day of the event. They all presented tantalizing, sophisticated dishes using sustainable domestic seafood from their states on the first day. But, ultimately, just Paul Anders of Colorado, Brian Landry of Louisiana, Tafari Campbell of Maryland, John Currence of Mississippi and Mark Holley of Texas went on to the second day. The contestants then had to demonstrate a delicious and nutritious home-style dish practical for any home-cook to prepare. Although everything was wonderful, the judges believed that Chef Currence’s Mississippi Redfish Courtboullion stood above the rest. The 2007 King Tim Thomas of Georgia was on hand to crown Chef Currence as the reigning champion and 2008 King of American Seafood. Second and third place winners were Brian Landry of Louisiana and Tafari Campbell of Maryland. Prestigious connoisseurs from across the nation brought their appetites and their highly-discerning palates to serve as judges: Serious Eats’ New York editor Zach Brooks, Santé magazine’s Ed Mueller, Dr. Roy Crabtree of NOAA in Washington D.C., Chef and 2006 Cook-Off winner Justin Timineri of the Florida Department of Agriculture and consumer services, Chef and owner Jody Denton of Merenda Restaurant and Wine Bar in Oregon, and Chris Koetke, Dean of Chicago’s School of Culinary Arts of Kendall College. On the second day of competition, one of the ten competing non-finalist chefs, Peter Fischbach of New Jersey, was chosen to cast his vote for the final award to be given to the new King of American Seafood. Chef Koetke stated, “Currence pulled together the flavors of Mississippi. He presented regional ingredients and regional ideas. And his family dish was so approachable. He got it!” The Great American Seafood Cook-Off, presented by the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board could not have been possible without the many wonderful sponsors. At the Executive Chef level were NOAA and FishWatch, Michelob Brewing Company, Shell, Southwest Airlines, and Southwest Cargo. At the Sous Chef level, Whole Foods Market, Loubat Food Service Equipment, Louisiana Restaurant Association, and the Royal Sonesta New Orleans Hotel. “For the fifth year, NOAA was a proud sponsor of the Great American Seafood Cook-Off," said Dr. James W. Balsiger, director of NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service."Bringing together some of the best chefs in the nation, the cook-off showcases our messages of quality, sustainable domestic seafood from across the United States." Acknowledgement is also in order to the supportive seafood organizations; the National Fisheries Institute, Gulf & South Atlantic Fisheries Foundation, Texas Department of Agriculture, Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, Mississippi Seafood Marketing Program, North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, Jones Seafood Solutions; Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board, and Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries. Finally, thanks to the media sponsors including Seafood Business Magazine, Santé Magazine, Gulfscapes Magazine, New Orleans Magazine, St. Charles Avenue Magazine, New Orleans Homes and Lifestyles Magazine, New Orleans Living Magazine and Television, Louisiana Cookin’ Magazine, Culinary Concierge Magazine, WWL Radio and Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB). Congratulations to the 2008 King of American Seafood, Chef John Currence of Mississippi. Wear your crown with pride, cook your fish with finesse and come back to defend your state’s title in 2009! For more information: Ashley Roth Liz Goliwas Bodet
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