This chef has a very full plate;
Stinson will represent state in seafood event
By: Jean Prescott, The Biloxi Sun Herald (Mississippi)

Rob Stinson is a busy fellow these days, what with a couple of Gulfport venues - Lookout 49 and Salute on the beachfront at 15th Street and U.S. 90 - going gangbusters with local foodies. He's executive chef for both places, though he's quick to point out that most every effort in his kitchens is a team effort.

Stir into the mix his appointment by Gov. Haley Barbour to represent the state in a seafood cooking competition, and you have a man, albeit a kinetic man, with an exceedingly full schedule.

That competition, the Great American Seafood Cook-Off, will take him to New Orleans this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, when he will meet celebrity chefs from across the country. Their mission? To prepare dishes "featuring domestic, sustainable seafood."

In other words, just say no to Asian imports.

Stinson's entry will feature amberjack, a fish featured at Lookout 49, and butter-poached shrimp.

"Butter poaching is a technique that's become very popular in California," he said. "They're using it with lobster, to simmer it in butter but combined with a little water and at about 160 degrees instead of boiling." It allows the butter and its flavor to permeate the seafood while the water keeps it moist and plump.

This fourth annual cook-off, for the first time two days instead of one, introduces a new element, too. On Saturday, executive chefs will create their fine-dining specialties for competition. Winners - first, second and third places - will be announced at noon Sunday, and then those three plus the next three finishers will be given 45 minutes to shop the Big Easy's Whole Foods market. Their objective will be to prepare a recipe suitable for prep by home cooks, but they must incorporate a mystery ingredient, a la the Iron Chef America competition on the Food Network.

Indeed Food TV has sponsored this competition in the past. The network taped it last year, aired it during the holiday season, Stinson said, and the attention it attracted was "phenomenal."

Stinson has prepared for the Iron Chef segment in hopes of finishing in the top six, and the recipe he has chosen is a variation on Lookout 49's famous Shrimp and Grits, but for this event, he swaps grits for seasoned cornbread.

Spectators are welcome (look for ticket/time info elsewhere with this story), might even get their mugs in a background shot for the Food Network, which will have camera crews all over the place. And a spokesman for the event says the other 14 chefs - a total of 20 minus the six Iron Chef-style participants - will be cooking up their homestyle dishes for distribution to ticket holders.

If you go What: The Great American Seafood Cook-Off When: Begins 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday Where: Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, Hall J, at the riverfront near the Hilton How much: tickets at the door are $25 for Saturday, $40 for Saturday and Sunday, and for $50, you can get a ticket that also admits you to the first ever Louisiana Alligator Soiree, 10 a.m. Monday, at the same venue. - GREAT AMERICAN SEAFOOD COOK-OFF