Chef Emeril Lagasse Invites Local High School Students To Dream Up Next Emeril’s Original Dish

Chef Emeril Lagasse Invites Local High School Students To Dream Up Next Emeril’s Original Dish

Proceeds from Each Dish Sold to Benefit Construction of New Culinary Arts Center at NOCCA

On March 26, 1990, Emeril Lagasse served the first dish at his namesake New Orleans restaurant — barbecue shrimp with rosemary biscuits. Two decades later, Lagasse has invited aspiring young culinary students at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) to create an original dish inspired by the traditions of Louisiana’s Creole cuisine.

The winning dish will be served at Emeril’s restaurants* across the country from October 1 – 31. For each dish sold, Emeril Lagasse Foundation will make a donation to NOCCA for the construction of a new culinary arts teaching kitchen, which is the final stage in the development of a formal, four-year culinary arts program at the arts high school.

Student graduates from NOCCA’s summer culinary arts session submitted entries for the recipe competition. Lagasse and his culinary team will review entries and select three finalists based on the criteria of taste, presentation, creativity, use of fresh, seasonal ingredients, and representation of Louisiana’s cuisine.

Joining Emeril Lagasse to taste the three student finalists recipes and select the winning dish is a panel of New Orleans chefs and food writers including: Leah Chase (Chef/Owner, Dooky Chase), Joel Dondis (Owner, Joel Catering/Sucre), David McCelvey (VP Operations & Culinary, Emeril’s Homebase), David Slater (Chef de Cuisine, Emeril’s Restaurant), Poppy Tooker (Culinary Preservationist & Author), Chris Wilson (Culinary Director, Emeril’s Homebase).

*Participating Emeril’s restaurants are:
Emeril’s, NOLA, Emeril’s Delmonico – New Orleans, LA
Emeril’s Orlando, Emeril’s Tchoup Chop – Orlando, FL
Emeril’s Miami Beach – Miami, FL
Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House, Delmonico Steakhouse, Table 10 – Las Vegas, NV