2007 Great American Seafood Cook-off August 4th & 5th In New Orleans, La

NEW ORLEANS (July 31, 2007) - Top chefs representing American states and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will gather here on August 4th and 5th to compete in the 2007 Great American Seafood Cook-Off presented by the Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board.

Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco recently asked her fellow governors to appoint an executive chef and an assistant to represent his or her state in the competition. With the growing need for awareness of the importance of domestic seafood use and support of sustainable fisheries, concerned governors across the nation have responded and a total of 19 chefs will be competing at this years event.

It is another line-up of notable chefs this year. Hometown favorite is Chef Tenney Flynn of GW Fins in New Orleans. Another chef with a strong Gulf Coast following is Chef Rob Stinson of Mississippi well known for his Restaurant 49 and Salute in Gulfport. Last year's winner hailed from Florida so Chef George Stella, "the low carb chef" has big shoes to fill. Some of last year's strong contenders such as Tim Thomas of Georgia, Shawn Wellersdick of North Carolina, Timothy Grandinetti of Missouri and Stefani Marnon of Alaska will be returning to New Orleans to try again for the crown.

Proving that they are not afraid of the heat, several chefs will be making the trip from states along the North Eastern Coast. Massachusetts is sending Chef Micheal Schlow, a notable chef and owner of four Boston area restaurants. Rhode Island will be represented by Kevin Gaudreau, a James Beard chef who can currently be found in the kitchens at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Providence.

California is double-dipping this year as there are two chefs coming from the Golden State this year. Rising-star chef, Dustin Trani of San Pedro will be representing California. The NOAA has selected Jeffrey Mora, who is also the team chef for The Los Angeles Lakers to be its representative. Also coming from the West Coast is Oregon chef, Jennifer Chapman. Chef Jackie Lau of Roy's Restaurants in Hawaii will be making the journey across the Pacific to participate in the event.



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Wyoming is sending Chef Janota to prove that great seafood can come from our rivers as well as the oceans. Chefs Patrick Colley of Kentucky, Tafari Campbell of Maryland and James Lauser of Delaware all proved their stuff in statewide competitions to earn the right to compete in New Orleans. Javier Lopez can be found in the kitchen at Pesce in Houston, a restaurant name certainly befitting a contender for the Seafood Crown.

"The Great American Seafood Cook-Off has grown in popularity each year and we're thrilled to be a part of this meaningful event," said Bill Hogarth of NOAA. "Through their participation, each of these chefs will help raise awareness of the importance of cooking with domestic seafood and they will also encourage the use of products from sustainable fisheries."

For the first time, the Great American Seafood Cook-Off will be open to the public and consist of two days of cooking. On Saturday, August 4, all participating chefs will be invited to create elaborate dishes using domestic seafood. In many cases, the chefs will prepare dishes that feature seafood native to their state. A panel of judges will name the top finishers from Saturday who will go on to compete on Sunday.

"Saturday the chefs will produce dishes that best display their incredible talents and creativity," said Ewell Smith, executive producer of the Cook-Off and executive director of the Lousiana Seafood Board. "On Sunday, August 5, the top finishers will be tasked with creating dishes that home chefs can easily replicate. They'll be judged on taste and creativity and also on ease of preparation."

Prior winners of the Great American Seafood Cook-