Media Invitation: First-Ever Vegan Gumbo Cook-Off Set for New Orleans’ Louis Armstrong Park
For Immediate Release:
November 7, 2013
Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382
New Orleans – We’d like to invite you to a breakthrough event this weekend in New Orleans: the first-ever vegan gumbo cook-off in Louis Armstrong Park.
New Orleans is legendary for its cuisine, but the butter- and fish-laden fare has never been a “big easy” for vegans and healthy eaters—until now. This weekend’s Tremé Creole Gumbo Festival, a free event presented by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation, will offer vegan gumbo for the first time ever. The festival teamed up with PETA and the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation to organize a vegan cook-off at the event on Saturday, November 9, as a way to show local chefs how easy it is to adapt traditional recipes and add healthier options to local menus.
Date: Saturday, November 9
Time: 12 noon–1 p.m.
Where: Louis Armstrong Park, 701 N. Rampart St., New Orleans, LA 70116
Flying in to speak at the event is critically acclaimed author and food activist Bryant Terry, whose new book, Afro-Vegan, will promote healthy eating in the black community. Terry will join a diverse panel of judges, including GOP strategist Mary Matalin; Scott Gold, Gambit restaurant columnist and author of The Shameless Carnivore; noted jazz critic Stanley Crouch; and food writers from across the state as well as a number of gourmet chefs to sample the innovative gumbos and decide on a winning recipe. The Food Network, Restaurant Depot, and Whole Foods have donated prizes for participants. Among the eateries taking part are Carmo and Breads on Oak and iconic soul-food establishments such as Li’l Dizzy’s, The Praline Connection, and Ms. Linda’s. Even Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House, a nationally recognized “meaty” hotspot, has signed on to compete. Local chefs and restaurateurs have been so enthusiastic about trying vegan that the festival is at vendor capacity.
This vegan gumbo cook-off is just the latest example of a national trend toward healthier eating.
