2023 James Beard Foundation Award-Winning Best Chef Texas Joins Louisiana Food & Wine Festival
The Louisiana Food & Wine Festival, taking place in Lake Charles, LA, September 14 – 17, 2023, announced today that Benchawan Jabthong Painter, recently named 2023 James Beard Foundation Best Chef Texas, will be joining the festival’s Grand Tasting line-up on Saturday, September 16, 2023, at Bord du Lac Park, in Lake Charles, LA. Chef Painter, also known as “Chef G” at her restaurant Street to Kitchen in Houston, TX, will also be appearing on the Rouses Markets Cooking Demo Stage at the festival on Saturday.
Some of the other additional guest celebrity chefs participating in the festival include John Currence, City Grocery Restaurant Group, Oxford, MS; Edgar “Dook” Chase, Chapter IV, New Orleans, LA; Meg Bickford, Commander’s Palace, New Orleans, LA; Ryan Hacker, Brennan’s New Orleans, LA; Amanda Cusey, The Terrace, Lake Charles, LA, David Rose, TV Personality, Chef & Author, Atlanta, GA.
The festival released its “Louisiana Inspired Master Class” schedule today. The master classes are the “not to miss festival tickets”, as they are reasonably priced at only $65 per class and offer learning experiences in intimate settings with celebrity guest chefs and beverage experts. The classes take place on Friday, September 15 at SOWELA Technical Community College and Bayou Rum Distillery. A discounted Master Class Pass for all 4 classes is available for purchase for $199 per person. Each class is limited to only 60 people, featuring beverage and culinary tastings for guests included with each class. This year’s featured classes are: “Mastering Creole Cooking” with Chef Edgar “Dook” Chase, IV with Chapter IV, New Orleans, LA from 10:30 am – 11:30 am; “Official Wine Partner Tasting Class” with details coming soon, from noon – 1 pm; “Mijenta Tequila and Cajun Favorites” with Oscar Valle, Mijenta Tequila Brand Ambassador and pairings with local Cajun Boudin and Cracklin’s from 1:30 – 2:30 pm; final class takes place at Bayou Rum Distillery, with “Taste the Flavors of Louisiana” with Reiniel Vicente Diaz, Master Distiller, Bayou Rum Distillery, includes culinary pairings and a tour of the distillery, 3:30 – 5 pm.
An additional festival announcement today included naming the Horseshoe Lake Charles as the festival’s Official Accommodations & Casino Partner. The newly renovated Horseshoe Lake Charles is conveniently located near Bord du Lac Park, where the festival’s signature events will be taking place on Friday, September 15, and Saturday, September 16, 2023.
Travel + Leisure recently named the Louisiana Food & Wine Festival as one of five “…must-experience festivals across the United States of America”. The festival is a showcase of culinary, beverage, and music that highlights Louisiana’s unique culture and Creole and Cajun heritage, celebrity guest chefs, local chefs, celebrity winemakers/proprietors, artisans, farmers, musicians, authors, local craft spirits and beers, along with renowned wine, spirits, and beer brands from around the world. The festival offers a wide variety of events for all tastebuds and budgets, from wine dinners and tasting events to intimate master classes, presented by Rouses Markets and hosted by Visit Lake Charles.
Schedule of Events
With tickets available on the festival website at Buy Tickets:
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14
“Louisiana’s Celebrity Chef Wine Dinner” 6 pm Reception, 7 pm Dinner
Presented by Explore Louisiana, Louisiana Seafood, SOWELA and Taste of the South magazine.
Location: SOWELA Culinary, Gaming and Hospitality Center
3841 Sen. J. Bennett Johnston Ave, Lake Charles, LA 70615
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
“Louisiana Inspired Master Classes” 10:30 am – 5 pm
Presented by SOWELA from 10:30 am – 2:30 pm; Bayou Rum Distillery from 3:30 – 5 pm. Locations: SOWELA Culinary, Gaming and Hospitality Center, 3841 Sen. J. Bennett Johnston Ave, Lake Charles, LA 70615 and Bayou Rum Distillery, 20909 Lacassine, LA 70650.
“Fire on the Lake” 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm, Bord du Lac Park, Lake Charles, LA,
Location: 1111 Bord du Lac Drive, Lake Charles, LA 70601. A quintessential Louisiana faire la fête and a live-fire cooking extravaganza with a variety of meats, Louisiana Seafood and more – highlighted by some of the south’s most celebrated Pitmasters, celebrity guest chefs, local chefs and grill masters. Enjoy unlimited food and wine, beer, and spirits tastings with a souvenir glass, along with Zydeco from Horace Trahan & the Ossun Express, along the shoreline of beautiful Lake Charles.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
“Grand Tasting” 2 pm – 5 pm, Bord du Lac Park, Lake Charles, LA
Location: 1111 Bord du Lac Drive, Lake Charles, LA 70601
A fun afternoon of culinary and beverage tastings, with live music in the beautiful surroundings of the Bord du Lac Park. Tickets are all-inclusive for food and beverage tastings, including a souvenir glass for unlimited beverage tastings from hundreds of wines, beer and spirits exhibitors, live music from Louisiana’s best party band – the Flamethrowers, Silent Auction, Rouses Markets Cooking Demonstration Stage, Louisiana Craft Brews Alley, presented by the Louisiana Craft Brewers Guild, Best Taste Awards, presented by Rouses and Acadiana Profile magazine, the “Taste of Louisiana Alley” presented by Explore Louisiana, Louisiana Seafood and Louisiana Cookin’ magazine with samplings from some of Louisiana’s best destinations and chefs from around the entire state.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
“Sunday Jazz Brunch” 11 am – 1 pm seating; 1 pm – 3 pm seating
Presented by Coffee:30/Southlake Theater Location: 4720 Nelson Rd, suite 110, Lake Charles, LA 70605
This lively festival finale event, the Sunday Jazz Brunch, is an all-inclusive priced ticket featuring unlimited beverage tastings with a souvenir glass, live music, a lavish brunch with carving stations, Coffee:30 signature coffee drinks and beignet station, salad bars, Louisiana Seafood stations, made-to-order omelet stations, variety of desserts and more. A variety of the festival’s official beverage partners will participate with an impressive Bloody Mary Bar, Mimosas, sparkling wines, sprits, wine, beer and more.
The United Way of Southwest Louisiana has been chosen as the festival’s Official Charity Partner, with a portion of the festival’s ticket proceeds, along with 100% of the proceeds from a silent auction on Saturday, September 16 at the Main Event, going directly to the United Way of SWLA. The festival is also awarding a portion of the festival proceeds to SOWELA for culinary student scholarships.
The entire festival schedule of events can be found online at Louisiana Food & Wine Festival. The festival takes place September 14 – 17, 2023 with all-inclusive food and drink tasting events, including over 300 varieties of culinary, wine, beer and spirit tastings experiences and 40+ restaurants. The most up to date festival information is available on the festival’s website and social media channels Facebook and Instagram.