And The Winner Is... Chef John Currence, The Crowned King of American Seafood

NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Congratulations toMississippi's Chef John Currence! He beat out 14 other prestigious chefs from across the nation to be crowned King of American Seafood at the 2008 Fifth Annual Great American Seafood Cook-Off! It was a spectacular battle between great culinary talents at the Louisiana Foodservice EXPO, but at the end of the two day contest, only Chef Currence became seafood royalty.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080819/DC30860)

Chef John Currence hails fromMississippi, where he is chef/owner at the acclaimed City Grocery in Oxford. His 'fin'-tastic winning dish completely epitomized the essence ofMississippi cuisine and proved he is no 'fish-out-of-water.' The judges were 'hooked' by his Mississippi Redfish Courtboullion with Seafood Dirty Rice as he didn't 'scale' back on authentic, unique flavors. "Being home, cooking at home, and winning this award inNew Orleans meant so much to my family here. Really though, what stands out about this competition was the great camaraderie that developed among the chefs. There were a lot of talented chefs in the room, and I was proud to be among them," Currence said with a gleam.

The Great American Seafood Cook-Off, presented by the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board featured top chefs from around the nation cooking with domestic, sustainable seafood from their home state. The competition is sponsored in part by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). "For the fifth year, NOAA was a proud sponsor of the Great American Seafood Cook-Off," said Dr. James W. Balsiger, director of NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service. "Bringing together some of the best chefs in the nation, the cook-off showcases our messages of quality, sustainable domestic seafood from acrossthe United States."

But, there was plenty of stiff competition. The first day of the contest found chefs representingAlaska,California,Colorado,Florida,Illinois,Kansas,Kentucky,Louisiana,Maine,Maryland,Mississippi,New Jersey,North Carolina,Texas and a chef fromWashington, D.C., representing NOAA, all vying for just five places to compete in the second day of the event. They all presented tantalizing, sophisticated dishes using sustainable domestic seafood from their states on the first day. But, ultimately, just Paul Anders ofColorado, Brian Landry ofLouisiana, Tafari Campbell ofMaryland, John Currence ofMississippi and Mark Holley ofTexas went on to compete on the second day. The finalists had to demonstrate a delicious and nutritious home-style dish practical for any home-cook to prepare. Although everything was wonderful, the judges believed that Chef Currence's Mississippi Redfish Courtboullion stood above the rest. The 2007 King Tim Thomas ofGeorgia was on hand to crown Chef Currence as the 2008 King of American Seafood. Second and third place winners were Brian Landry ofLouisiana and Tafari Campbell ofMaryland.

Visit http://www.GreatAmericanSeafoodCookOff.com to view recipes and vote on your favorite for a chance to win a "trip toNew Orleans" prize package.

SOURCE Louisiana Seafood Board

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