Lake Charles chef crowned queen of Louisiana Seafood Cook-off as first time competitor

Amanda Cusey, executive chef at Lake Charles' The Villa Harlequin, was crowned queen of Louisiana seafood Tuesday at the state's 15th annual Seafood Cook-Off.

Cusey beat 11 other chefs in the competition, which was hosted at the Cajundome Convention Center. She is the second woman to win the competition.

“I was blown away. I was surprised because I did not think I was going to win," Cusey said. "I thought I might get into the top two or three, but I was not expecting number one."

Hundreds of people gathered in the convention center to watch the chefs compete and eat from nearly 30 different local restaurants serving food. This was the fifth year the event was held in Lafayette.

Cusey will represent Louisiana in the Great American Seafood Cook-Off in New Orleans in August, cooking against chefs from around the country.

This was Cusey's first time competing in the competition. The chefs each had one hour to prepare their dish before presenting it to the judges.

Last year's winner: 2021 Louisiana Seafood King of Kings crowned after outcooking 9 past champions

Cusey's winning dish was a pan-seared red drum fish over tomato polenta and seared green beans topped with a crawfish and creole mustard sauce.

"I really came with some flavor. I didn't try to overcomplicate anything," Cusey said after her win. "I put as much love as possible into that dish."

Cusey began developing her passion for cooking while growing up in the Southwest United States. She traveled extensively throughout the U.S. and Europe.

She was trained at the Tante' Marie Culinary Academy in Surrey, England. She worked her way up through several restaurants in England and Ireland, where she cemented her love of Italian cuisine.

Before coming to Lake Charles, Cusey worked with Michelin Star chef Oliver Dunne as head chef of his Italian-inspired restaurant in Dublin, Ireland. She now brings her twist on Italian cuisine to Villa Harlequin in downtown Lake Charles.

Baton Rouge chef David Dickensauge secured third place and chef Amy Sins of New Orleans came in second.

Judges for the cook-off included Edgar “Dooky” Chase IV, chef and owner of Dook’s Place in downtown New Orleans; Celeste Chachere, director of marketing and development for Tony Chachere’s Creole Foods; and two past winners of the competition, chefs Cody Carroll and Nealy Frentz.

This year’s competitors were

• Ryan Cashio; Cajun House & Catering, LLC; Laplace (First-time Competitor)

• Amanda Cusey; The Villa Harlequin; Lake Charles (First-time Competitor)

• Russell Davis; Eliza Restaurant & Bar and JED’S Local Louisiana Po’boys; Baton Rouge (First-time Competitor)

• David Dickensauge; Tsunami; Baton Rouge (Competed in 2014, 2015)

• Ben Fidelak; Mariner’s Restaurant; Natchitoches (Competed in 2017, 2020)

• Ryan Gaudet; Spahr’s Seafood; Des Allemands (Competed in 2015, 2016)

• Kyle Hudson; Beausoleil Coastal Cuisine; Baton Rouge (First-time Competitor)

• Karlos Knott; Bayou Teche Brewing & Cajun Saucer; Arnaudville (First-time Competitor)

• Brett Monteleone; Junior’s on Harrison; New Orleans (First-time Competitor)

• Amy Sins; Langlois; New Orleans (Competed in 2016, 2019, 2020)

• Joshua Spell; Fezzo’s Seafood Steakhouse & Oyster Bar; Crowley (First-time Competitor)

• Grant Wallace; Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse; New Orleans (First-time Competitor)

Eight of the 12 chefs were first-time competitors. Samantha Carroll, executive director of the Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, said there were a record number of applicants this year.

There were no Lafayette-based chef competitors.

This event was the first of EatLafayette, a year-long celebration meant to promote local restaurants.

Local: EatLafayette, a campaign to promote Lafayette's food scene, begins Tuesday

“This event is a great tool to promote buying local,” said Mayor-President Josh Guillory. “One-third of all seafood consumed in the United States comes right here from Louisiana. It’s a major economic driver for the state. And I can tell you it’s a main economic driver for Acadiana.”

This year’s event returned to the traditional format instead of last year’s “King of Kings” competition, when only past winners competed. Last year’s winner was Tory McPhail, a chef and culinary director at restaurants around the U.S., and the former head chef of Commander’s Palace in New Orleans.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Lake Charles chef wins queen of Louisiana seafood at cook-off