Chef David Dickensauge/Photo by James Edward Bates
GULFPORT, Miss. – The eighth annual MS Seafood Cook-off was held on May 25th at CLIMB CDC in Gulfport. Twelve of the top chefs from across the state competed to be the king of Mississippi seafood. Chef David Dickensauge or Corks & Cleaver in Gulfport was the winning chef with his Mississippi Seafood Pho. He will represent Mississippi in the Great American Seafood Cook-off in New Orleans and at the World Food Championships in Orange Beach, Ala., in November.
Mississippi Seafood Pho/Photo by James Edward Bates
Each chef presented a signature dish featuring fresh, sustainable Mississippi Gulf seafood to a select group of judges.
Those who attended were able to watch the chefs prepare their dishes and enjoyed food from local restaurants, including Half Shell Oyster House; Bacchus on the Beach, Pass Christian; Petie’s Eats; The Chimneys; Captain Hooks Seafood; Island View Casino and Quality Seafood. Dishes included boiled shrimp, oysters, marinated crab claws, crab au gratin, seafood pasta, shrimp-stuffed potatoes, crabmeat bisque, seafood gumbo, as well as dessert.
Drinks were provided by Mitchell Distributing, Chandeleur Brewing Company, and Cathead Vodka.
David Crews, owner of Crews Culinary Investments, planned the event.
Participating chefs were Billy Cresswell, Scarlet Pearl Casino, D’Iberville; David Dickensauge, Corks & Cleaver, Gulfport; Cole Ellis, Delta Meat Market, Cleveland; John Fitzgerald, Restaurant Tyler, Starkville; Michael Greenhill, Walker’s Drive In, Jackson; Matthew Kajdan, Estelle Wine Bar and Bistro, Jackson; Louis LaRose, Lou’s Full-Serv, Jackson; Jean-Paul Lavallee, Oak Crest Mansion, Pass Christian; David Leathers, Forklift, Tupelo; Mitchell McCamey, Kermits Outlaw Kitchen, Tupelo; Nick Reppond, Grit, Taylor; and Robert Tushton, Local463, Madison.
This year’s judges were Chef Vishwesh Bhatt, Oxford; Chef Jim Smith, Montgomery, Ala.; Chef Alex Eaton, Jackson; Chef Alexei Harrison, Jackson; Jeff Clark, Biloxi.
Click here for more photos from the Mississippi Seafood Cook-off.