As New Orleans hosts the continental qualifiers for Bocuse d’Or and the Pastry World Cup, chefs from North America and South America will be pursuing perfection on a plate.
Across town, a dozen-plus New Orleans culinary pros will be in a separate competition for the perfect single bite of cheese.
The Cheese Bite Competition is just what the name says, but don’t expect cheddar on a Ritz cracker (unless something really interesting is going on with those ingredients).
It's a new event from local monger St. James Cheese Co. and the French American Chamber of Commerce (Gulf Coast), inspired by the culinary spotlight that Bocuse d’Or is shining on New Orleans. It is separate from that international competition, held June 11-13 in the convention center, see details here.
The Cheese Bite Competition will turn Degas House (2306 Esplanade Ave.) into a wonderland of cheese as competitors vie to assemble the best one-bite creations of cheese and whatever pairings so they can dream up.
“We want people to design the perfect bite of cheese, just that one bite taste,” said St. James co-founder Richard Sutton. “It’s in the spirit of Bocuse d’Or but just fun and casual.”
St. James has some history with this concept, and for a time, its menu featured cheese bite pairings like Delice de Bourgogne with jam and dark chocolate, or fresh chevre, tarragon, black lava salt and lemon curd. The competition gives the idea a competitive local reboot.
People who attend get to try the full range alongside French wine and can vote for their favorite, with a $1,000 prize on the line. The local restaurants taking part include:
- Bacchanal
- Bayona
- Cafe Degas
- Copper Vine
- Coquette
- Flour Moon Bagels
- Jewel of the South
- Justine
- Really Really Nice Wines
- The New Orleans Vampire Café
- 2 Brothers 1 Love
- Toups’ Meatery
- Wood Duck
Special guests at the event include two chefs in town to compete in Bocuse d’Or, Daniel Guzman, of Team Guatemala, and Abrahan Salas. You can also meet French cheesemaker Lucas Kerautret, who works with St. James to source great cheese, and Antonio Cabrera Garcia-Arevalo, of Dehesa, the Spanish jamon Iberico producer.
The cheese will come from St. James’ partners, including Neal's Yard Dairy, Forever Cheese, Jasper Hill Farms, Sweetgrass Dairy, Essex Cheese, Southern Maids Dairy and Herve Mons Affineur.
What: Cheese Bite Competition
Where: Degas House, 2306 Esplanade Ave.
When: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. June 14
Tickets are $100, see www.allevents.in.
