NOAA’s Bill Hogarth Presents Trophies to Louisiana, Delaware and Maryland Chefs
New Orleans, LA – Chef John Besh of Restaurant August in New Orleans won the 2004 Great American Seafood Cook Off on Saturday, July 31, 2004. Besh competed against noted chefs from throughout America, each representing his or her state in the Great American Seafood Cook Off, which occurred at the Louisiana Foodservice Expo, and highlighted the quality and significance of domestic seafood.
John Connelly of the National Fisheries Institute oversaw a panel of distinguished judges including: Michel Richard of Citronelle and Robert Wiedmaier of Marcel’s in Washington DC; Greg Sonnier of Gabrielle in New Orleans; and Christopher Koetke of Kendall College of Culinary Arts in Chicago. William Hogarth of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) presented trophies to the winners.
Delaware chef David Leo Banks placed second with a preparation of Pan Seared Wild Rockfish and Soft Shell Crab Tempura and Maryland’s Chef Rudy Speckamp secured third place with “Treasures of the Chesapeake.” Chefs were required to utilize only domestic seafood, and the event was especially designed to raise awareness of the superior quality of seafood that comes from American waters.
John Besh: Executive Chef, Restaurant – August
After his formal training at the Culinary Institute of America, Besh furthered his education in some of the most renowned kitchens in the country. He has also studied in the Black Forest region of Germany and spent time working in the south of France. Not surprisingly, Besh has embraced this culinary connection with France at Restaurant August. Not long after it opened in September 2001, Restaurant August scored a spot on Condè Nast Traveler’s list of “Hot Tables,” which cites the 50 top new worldwide eateries, as well as on Travel + Leisure’s “Top New Orleans Restaurants”; it was also chosen as “one of the best new restaurants in New Orleans” by New York Times critic Robert Hughes.
