Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser and the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board are excited to welcome Texas Chef Jesse Cavazos of Cru’ Food and Wine Bar in Houston, Texas, to face-off against 13 other chefs from around the country to the nation’s ultimate seafood cooking competition, the 18th Annual Great American Seafood Cook-Off.

Chef Jesse Cavazos is a graduate of The Art Institute of Dallas. After graduating, he worked for six years at the popular W Hotel Restaurant, CRAFT in Dallas, Texas. Starting as a line cook at CRAFT, he would eventually work his way up the chain of command to Sous Chef, under the direction of Executive Celebrity Chef Tom Colicchio. As Chef and Partner, he is excited to add his creativity to the menu at Cru’ Food and Wine Bar. Chef Cavazos has consecutively placed in the "Top 3" and won in 2017 and 2019 at Wine & Food Week’s Wine Rendezvous Grand Tasting & Chef Showcase event in The Woodlands, Texas, where 50 chefs come together from all over the world to compete in a blind competition. Chef Jessie Cavazos competed in the 2021 Great American Seafood Cook-Off and returns again this year to bring a taste of Texas to the competition.

The 2022 Great American Seafood Cook-Off will be held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans on Saturday, August 6. The 18th annual event gets underway with Opening Ceremonies at 11:15 a.m. as 14 chefs, each representing their home state, cook in front of a live audience and a panel of nationally acclaimed judges.

“The Great American Seafood Cook-Off is the perfect stage to celebrate Louisiana and America’s domestic seafood industry – the best in the world,” said Louisiana Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser. “This year there will be a very talented field of chefs from all over the country vying to be crowned the next ‘King or Queen of American Seafood’ right here in New Orleans. Each chef will be showcasing their skills with domestic seafood to present the best seafood dishes.”

The 2022 Great American Seafood Cook-Off competitors are:

Chef Jeffrey Compton; The Battery, Birmingham, Alabama

Chef Amara Enciso; Brava Food, Juneau, Alaska

Chef Nick Farrer; Isabel’s Amor, Gilbert, Arizona

Chef Miles Angelo; Caribou Club, Aspen, Colorado

Chef Al Massa; Brotula’s Seafood House & Steamer, Destin, Florida

Chef Amanda Cusey; Villa Harlequin, Lake Charles, Louisiana

Chef Dila Mahoney; Dila’s Kitchen, Portland, Maine

Chef Eric LeBlanc; Burtons Bar & Grill, Riverdale, Maryland

Chef Erin Miller; Urban Hearth, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Chef Cooper Miller; Forklift, Tupelo, Mississippi

Chef Christian Gill; Boomtown Biscuits & Whiskey, Cincinnati, Ohio

Chef Mandisa Horn; Horn O Plenty Freshtaurant, Bedford, Pennsylvania

Chef Nicholas Huckabee; A Difference in Dining, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Chef Jesse Cavazos; Cru’ Food and Wine Bar; Houston, Texas

During the competition, each chef will prepare a dish highlighting the use of domestic seafood while interacting with the live audience, celebrity hosts Chef Cory Bahr – Food Network Star Finalist, Food Network Chopped! Champion, and a former King of Louisiana Seafood – and KLFY TV10’s Gerald Gruenig, along with “chef ref” Chef Keith Frentz, also a former King of Louisiana Seafood. Each dish will be presented to a panel of nationally renowned judges who will score based on presentation, creativity, composition, craftsmanship, and flavor. The Great American Seafood Cook-Off promotes the quality and variety of domestic seafood found in the United States.

To be eligible to compete in the event, chefs must either hold the current title of King or Queen of Seafood or be appointed by the lieutenant governor of their respective state or territory. The reigning King of American Seafood, Mississippi’s Chef Austin Sumrall of White Pillars Restaurant in Biloxi won the title with his dish of Snapper Three-ways, including a raw preparation, snapper ribs, and a poached snapper jowl pho. Chef Sumrall bested 12 of the best chefs from around the country.

The event is held in conjunction with the Louisiana Restaurant Association Showcase. Tickets are $10 at the door.

Previous winners of the Great American Seafood Cook-Off include:

2021: Austin Sumrall, Mississippi

2019: Nathan Richard, Louisiana

2018: Ryan Trahan, Louisiana

2017: Lionel Uddipa, Alaska

2016: Alex Eaton, Mississippi

2015: Beau Schooler, Alaska

2014: Terry White, Florida

2013: David Crews, Mississippi

2012: Gregory Gourdet, Oregon

2011: Jim Smith, Alabama

2010: Dean Max, Florida

2009: Tory McPhail, Louisiana

2008: John Currence, Mississippi

2007: Tim Thomas, Georgia

2006: Justin Timineri, Florida

2005: Randy Evans, Texas

For more information on the competition, visit www.louisianaseafood.com/great-american-seafood-cook.

Following the crowning of the 2022 King or Queen of American Seafood on August 6, a news release with a link to video and pictures of the event will be distributed.