Roadfood.com partners with unique food vendors from across the country to highlight a wide selection of specialty dishes
New Orleans – The 4th Annual New Orleans Roadfood Festival will be held March 24-25, 2012, from 11am to 6pm at New Orleans’ historic French Market. This year’s festival will showcase over thirty restaurants serving the dishes that put them on the map.
Attendees will enjoy BBQ from Texas and Memphis, Tucson’s best tamales, freshly made custard from upstate New York, Cajun and Creole delicacies from across Louisiana, and many other regional culinary specialties. Admission to the festival is free, and a portion of the festival’s proceeds will benefit Cafe Reconcile, a nonprofit restaurant that uses innovative strategies to provide life skills and job training to youth from at-risk communities in the New Orleans area.
The weekend will kick off on Friday, March 23rd, with a special event (see below fordetails) which will include guests from Public Radio’s award-winning weekly food show, “The Splendid Table,” in the Grand Ballroom of the Royal Sonesta Hotel in the heart of the French Quarter. This live taping of WWNO’s Louisiana Eats! program will be hosted by Poppy Tooker with The Splendid Table’s star, Lynne Rossetto Kasper, Roadfood creators Jane & Michael Stern, and a host of notable chefs who are bringing their good food to the festival.
Roadfood.com will also award its annual Roadfood Blue Plate Award at Friday’s event. This year’s recipient is Doug Sohn of the renowned Hot Doug’s Cased Meat Emporium in Chicago, Illinois. A limited number of tickets to kickoff event are still available atwww.Roadfood.com.
“We have made a number of additions to this year’s event, including live music, cooking demonstrations and a main stage,” said event coordinator Dottie Belletto. “Through our partnership with the French Market, we have the opportunity to increase the number of food vendors and provide great local music while attendees enjoy the French Quarter atmosphere.”
Festival goers will enjoy the New Orleans Roadfood Festival Beignet Eating Contest on Sunday, March 25. The competition will give local firefighters a chance to win the coveted World Beignet Eating Champion belt. For more information about all events at the New Orleans Roadfood Festival or purchasing tickets to these events, visit www.neworleansroadfoodfestival.com.
4th Annual New Orleans Roadfood Festival Kickoff Event to feature WWNO and APM celebrities on March 23 at the Royal Sonesta Hotel
Evening program will showcase Louisiana Eats!’ Poppy Tooker, The Splendid Table’s Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift, and Roadfood.com’s Jane and Michael Stern
Roadfood.com and the New Orleans Convention Company, Inc., will kick off the 4th Annual New Orleans Roadfood Festival with an evening event that includes live music, a taping of WWNO’s Louisiana Eats! and the presentation of Roadfood’s annual Blue Plate Award. The party will take place on Friday, March 23, 2012, from 6:30 to 9pm in the Royal Sonesta Hotel’s Grand Ballroom.
This special evening will begin with hors d’oeuvres and live music from Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes, which will include a performance of their original “Louisiana Eats!” theme song in addition to their full repertoire of rock, funk, and New Orleans’ favorites. A cash bar will be available, and guests will enjoy a live taping of WWNO’s Louisiana Eats! program hosted by Poppy Tooker, which will feature The Splendid Table star Lynne Rossetto Kasper, Roadfood.com creators Jane and Michael Stern, and a number of notable chefs including New Orleans’ own Frank Brigtsen.
Roadfood.com will also award its annual Roadfood Blue Plate Award at Friday’s event. This year’s recipient is Doug Sohn of the renowned Hot Doug’s Cased Meat Emporium in Chicago, Illinois. A limited number of tickets are still available for this event at www.NewOrleansRoadfoodFestival.com. Tickets are currently on sale for $50, and ticket prices will increase in March.
“We are excited that this year’s kickoff party will feature so much incredible talent. What better way to begin the 4th Annual New Orleans Roadfood Festival than with this celebration of legendary eats,” said event coordinator Dottie Belletto. “The best part is that the Festival and its events benefit our non-profit partner Café Reconcile, which provides valuable opportunities to young people who seek to develop their skills in the food service industry. Café Reconcile has been a big part of the Festival since it began in 2009, and we are so proud to recognize and support the important work they do in New Orleans.”
The evening will also include book signings of How to Eat Weekends by The Splendid Table’s host, Lynne Rossetto Kasper, and producer Sally Swift, as well as the newest edition of Roadfood by Roadfood.com founders Jane and Michael Stern. Louisiana Eats! host Poppy Tooker will sign her book, Crescent City Farmers Market Cookbook. The New Orleans Roadfood Festival’s non-profit beneficiary, Café Reconcile, will also have representatives on hand to promote their cookbook, Café Reconcile: Feed Your Soul. For more information about all events at the New Orleans Roadfood Festival or purchasing tickets to this event, visit www.NewOrleansRoadfoodFestival.com.
###
