Food -> Eats TUE, MAY 18 9:59AM by Mary Tutwiler

Village Café’s Tauzin wins Best of Show at Culinary Classic

It was Village Café Executive Chef Jude Tauzin’s night to shine. It was Village Café Executive Chef Jude Tauzin’s night to shine. With six medals draped around his neck and fellow gold medal winners lined up across the stage at the 26th Annual Acadiana Culinary Classic Monday night, Tauzin’s Chocolate Torchon, filled with mocha cream set in hazelnut powder and accompanied with cocoa bib brittle, chocolate paint and white chocolate drizzle (a mouthful indeed!), took home the $10,000 Best of Show prize.

In attendance at the Cajundome Convention Center to hand out the grand honor to the Village Café at River Ranch chef was acclaimed New Orleans chef John Besh, a special guest at this year’s event, joined on stage by Acadiana Culinary Classic presenting sponsors Popeyes and IberiaBank. (Village Café is co-owned by Ind Publishers Steve and Cherry Fisher May.)


Photo by Robby Bishop
New Orleans chef John Besh, owner of six successful Crescent City concepts led by flagship August, presented the Best of Show prize to chef Jude Tauzin of Village Café in River Ranch.

The event, another sellout benefit for Hearts of Hope, a sexual abuse response and support center, is the largest culinary competition on the Gulf Coast. Other gold medal winners of the night were:

• Soup — Brian Berry, executive chef, Sodexho at UL Lafayette, Grilled Shiitake and Crab Bisque with crabmeat brie wonton
• Salad — Reynold Landry, executive chef, Opelousas General Health System, Blue Hawaiian Crab Salad
• Bread — Patrick Poupart, owner/chef, Poupart Bakery, Spinach and Basil Stuffed Bread with a roasted fennel butter
• Vegetable — Leon Khameson, sushi chef, Tsunami Sushi, Zucchini Linguine Alle Sauce Medley
• Poultry — Kevin Tien, sushi chef, Tsunami Sushi, Pho King Duck
• Meat & Veal — Nicholas Fadely, executive chef, Marcello’s Wine Market Café, Veal Cheek and Wild Mushroom Ragout
• Wild Game, Pork & Lamb — Calvin Cormier Jr., sous chef, Prejean’s Restaurant, Smokey’s Revenge
• Finfish — Jude Tauzin, executive chef, Village Café at River Ranch, Truffle Butter Roasted Escolar with asparagus and wild mushroom risotto and charred wild ramps, laced with Louisiana crawfish pan sauce
• Shellfish — Erik Mark, Village Café at River Ranch, Caribbean Scallops
• Dessert — Jude Tauzin, Village Café at River Ranch, Chocolate Torchon

View a comprehensive list of the night’s winners here.

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Comments (8)

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written by Existentialist Homme , May 22, 2010 - 08:32 pm

I was shocked that Chef Juan's Cappilottada did not merit.

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written by NoName , May 23, 2010 - 03:35 am

I was shocked that the IND's relationship to Tauzin was not mentioned.

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written by Leslie Turk , May 24, 2010 - 03:33 pm

NoName, thanks for pointing out our oversight. We have acknowledged the relationship.

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written by NORTHSIDIAN SHOTGUN , May 25, 2010 - 04:17 am

There for a minute i thought you were spoofing The Original Village Cafe, in Scott La, you know the Village Cafe with the "World Famous Hot Dogs, where they toast the bun in the grease of the weiner, and the secret sauce, its by the Signal Light on Hwy.90..............I don't know who the Chef is at the Village, but the Souis Chef, is my NONC, yeah !
AY,E.H. THATS A FUNNY NAME FOR BREAD PUDDING,what that is, GREEK?

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written by NOTORIOUS GENTLEMANS CLUB, TEN , May 25, 2010 - 05:10 am

I can't see how Noname would think that the owners of "The Independent, Steve and Cherry Mays, who happen to own the restaurant where the award winning chef, Jude Tauzin hangs his hat, have to blow Chef Jude's horn, or their own horn, the fact is, that Steve and Cherry, have proven themselves highly successful business partners in every endeavor they have attempted, this is a very well known fact in Lafayette.......
"TO REACH SUCCESS, ONE MUST EMPLOY GREAT PEOPLE, ONE BECOMES SUCCESSFUL, BY EMPLOYING PEOPLE WHOSE CAPABLILITIES RUN BEYOND THE NORM, PEOPLE WHO THROUGH THEIR INITIATIVE AND PERSONAL PRIDE, MAKE A BUSINESS SUCCESSFUL. I happen to know, that Chef Jude Tauzin, does not require an introduction in the culinary arena, and that Steve and Cherry May are successful business managers, and they have a staff at The Independent which is a very highly respected group of news people, and highly recognized in the media field.

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written by Jacimofinanay , June 09, 2010 - 04:13 pm

Congratulations to Chef Jude! His cuisine is excellent, and I'm so happy to see success flowing his way....he deserves it!

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written by x , August 06, 2010 - 07:24 am

Culinary Classic,,,,,,real classic SHITTTTTTT

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written by armin k. , April 05, 2011 - 04:01 am

Cooking with passion. When you go to a restaurant, there is wine in lots of the food. It was so delicious, however how do you cook with wine? Is it worth taking home to try?. Well now, with a little bit of help, you are able to. I read this here: How to cook dinner with wine

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