Story by Kristen P. Townsend
NATCHITOCHES – The Louisiana Jambalaya Cook-Off is returning to the Natchitoches-NSU Folk Festival on Saturday July 20 in air-conditioned Prather Coliseum located at 220 South Jefferson Street on the Northwestern State University campus in Natchitoches. Professionals and hobbyists can compete in any of three categories and demonstrate their cooking skills.
Registration and the cooks’ meeting will take place at 8 a.m. inside Prather Coliseum in the N-Club Room, with cooking to officially begin at 8:45 a.m. Tasting and judging will begin at 12:30 p.m. with winners announced at 3:30 p.m. with first, second, and third place awarded to each of the three categories: seafood, poultry plus and people’s choice. There is no fee to compete in the Cookoff. Jambalaya must be cooked on-site outside of Prather Coliseum.
Jambalaya is a savory dish enjoyed across the states, but its origin can be traced back to Louisiana. With the melting pot of cultures within the Louisiana region, something unique and tasty was created in the delicious foodway. Ingredients and spices vary as widely as the people who regularly prepare and serve the dish; often the chefs are convinced that theirs is the “true” or “correct” way. Such chefs will present their finest representation of their own culture, methods and stories as they battle it out to claim first place.
Competitors are provided a 10’ x 20’ cooking space outside of Prather Coliseum where they will make their temporary kitchens using either propane burners or contained cookfires in order to prepare a minimum of two gallons of their finest jambalaya. Running water is available to them, but all ingredients and supplies must be brought on site by the head cook. Chefs are not allowed to use any premade mixes or roux, though proteins and broth/stock may be prepared in advance, with all proteins being kept on ice until use. The jambalaya must be cooked on site and contestants are responsible for all serving and sampling dishes and utensils, as well as all items needed to prepare their dishes and workstations. For a complete list of rules and entry form, please visit https://www.nsula.edu/folklife/. For more information contact the Louisiana Folklife Center at (318) 357-4332 or email folklife@nsula.edu.
“A Buck A Cup” jambalaya sales to the public for the People’s Choice category will begin at 1 p.m. Festival attendees will be invited to purchase jambalaya and vote on which jambalaya they most enjoyed. Chefs participating in “A Buck A Cup” must provide their own bowls, spoons and napkins.
In addition to the cook-off, this year’s Natchitoches-NSU Folk Festival will include the Louisiana State Fiddle Championship, three stages of live music, over 75 crafts people, Louisiana cuisine food vendors, dance lessons, informances, narrative sessions, on-site demonstrations, and much more. Admission to this family friendly event is only $10 for an all-day all-event pass. After 5 p.m. passes are only $6, and children 12 and under are admitted free all day.
Support for the festival is provided by grants from the Cane River National Heritage Area, Inc., the City of Natchitoches, the Louisiana Division of the Arts Decentralized Arts Fund Program, the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, the Louisiana Office of Tourism, the Natchitoches Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Natchitoches Historic District Development Commission, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation, the Shreveport Regional Arts Council, and the State of Louisiana. The festival is sponsored by C&H Precision Machining, City Bank, Cleco, Evans Family, LLC, the Harrington Law Firm, International Paper, Natchitoches Wood Preserving Company and Young Estate, LLC.
