Foundation Coordinates 2014 Great American Seafood Cook-off

The Gulf Seafood Marketing Coalition, through the Gulf and South Atlantic Fisheries Foundation and with assistance from the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission, Gulf Seafood Institute and the Louisiana Restaurant Association (LRA), will host the 11th annual Great American Seafood Cook-Off. The event will be held in conjunction with LRA Foodservice Expo in the Southwest Airlines Gulf Coast Seafood Pavilion in New Orleans, La. on August 2, 2014. Top-level executive chefs from around the nation will compete against each other while preparing sustainable, domestic seafood dishes using seafood that best represents their state. A panel of the nation's distinguished chefs and food lovers will judge the competition. The winner will be declared the "King or Queen of American Seafood 2014." The Great American Seafood Cook-Off helps to shine the spotlight on the nation’s domestic seafood communities and showcases the finest seafood from various regions of the country. Last year's event was a grand success and in addition to nationwide print coverage, it is being broadcasted across the United States on more than 90 PBS stations. Louisiana Public Broadcasting is returning to produce this year’s show which will be offered to affiliates of PBS across the United States, underlining the national attention that this event receives.   The Coalition provides a framework for the seafood community to coordinate marketing efforts among the Gulf States with emphasis on working with tourism boards, restaurants, retailers and chefs. The Foundation is coordinating the Gulf Seafood Marketing Coalition through funding provided by the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (NOAA Award #NA10NMF4770481). For more information, please visit www.eatgulfseafood.com and follow the Coalition on Facebook at Gulf Coast Seafood and Twitter at @eatgulfseafood.

The Foundation is a private, regional nonprofit research organization with a general membership and Board of Trustees representing a wide spectrum of the commercial fishing industry throughout the southeast U.S. Through the Foundation, the commercial seafood and fishing industry can collectively identify industry needs, and address those needs through appropriate research and other activities. Representing the nine-state region from Virginia to Texas, the Foundation has sponsored more than 600 fisheries related research projects. For more information, please visit www.gulfsouthfoundation.org.

The Cook-Off is a seafood cooking competition supported by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, audited by the National Fisheries Institute and endorsed by the National Restaurant Association.