All apologies for my two month absence! My beloved readers (all three of you?) deserve an explanation, but I’ve got nothing. Well, actually, I have been a little down and out. I severely sprained my ankle on the way to dim sum, knocking me out for three weeks. Oh! and SCOTUS (with help from the great state of Louisiana) is on the verge of making me a second-class citizen, but that’s no excuse, is it?
Today, I’ve got something to be joyous about. I just recently received an invitation to judge once again (like second breakfast) for the 30th annual New Orleans Wine & Food Experience! This will be my 11th year of judging for the festival’s yearly culinary awards and believe you me, I am no less excited to participate than I was the first time in 2012.
Out of all the wondrous benefits I’ve experienced being a food writer, this has to be one of the finest. How else would I get to spend a couple of days, riding around town in an air-conditioned bus with a bunch of fabulous food fanatics like myself, sharing recent food finds, laughing and talking shop? But, undeniably, the best part about the entire experience is the food!
Over the years it’s been impossible not to notice that the chefs and restaurants who sign up to participate at NOWFE let their creativity run wild for this event. These culinary masters pull out all the proverbial stops and bend over backwards to impress us . . . and regularly succeed.
While the entire adventure is lively indeed, the actual judging is more difficult than you might imagine. With chefs taking great pains to please us, it’s nigh impossible to say one dish is better than the next! You know what they say, it’s a tough job . . .
**Follow @sucktheheads this Wednesday, May 18th & Thursday, May 19th to see what you’ll be missing if you don’t attend the 2022 New Orleans Wine & Food Experience happening June 7-12!
