Louisiana Surf and Turf by Janee Taylor, 18 year old culinary student
NEW ORLEANS (April 3, 2012) – Thanks to generous restaurant visitors across the country, Emeril’s restaurants are donating over $20,000 to support culinary education through Emeril Lagasse Foundation. Sales of a “Dish that Makes a Difference” and online donations through FOOD & WINE’s “Chefs Make Change” campaign made this March’s fundraising campaign a success.
Emeril’s restaurants in New Orleans, Las Vegas and Orlando featured “Louisiana Surf and Turf with Grilled Ribeye, Seafood Mashed Potatoes and Cajun Crab-Boiled Asparagus,” and over 3,800 of these were sold in March. This dish was the creation of 18-year-old culinary student Janeé Taylor, after she won a recipe contest among her classmates at New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA).
Taylor, one of four finalists in the contest, is a 2011 graduate of Warren Easton High School in New Orleans and NOCCA. She is now a freshman studying Culinary Arts at Johnson & Wales University – Lagasse’s alma mater – in Providence, RI.
The recipe contest and charitable promotion was part of FOOD & WINE magazine’s “Chefs Make Change” campaign, a coalition of 10 star chef-philanthropists working to create new opportunities in their communities through the power and possibility of food. Emeril Lagasse Foundation was featured as one of the “Chefs Make Change” charities in the magazine’s February 2012 issue.
For more information on Emeril Lagasse Foundation, please visit emeril.org.
For more information on FOOD & WINE’s “Chefs Make Change,” please visit foodandwine.com/articles/chefs-make-change.
About Emeril Lagasse Foundation:
Established in 2002 as the realization of Chef Emeril’s dream to improve the quality of young people’s lives, Emeril Lagasse Foundation supports children’s education and non-profit organizations with culinary, nutrition, garden, arts and life skills programs. Projects funded by the Foundation include an outdoor classroom, gardens, fresh foods cafeteria and teaching kitchen at Edible Schoolyard New Orleans, an accessible learning kitchen for special needs students at St. Michael Special School, a four-year culinary arts program for high school students at New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts, and a culinary learning center for hospitality training for at-risk youth at Café Reconcile. Each fall, the foundation hosts its signature annual fundraiser, Carnivale du Vin, which ranks among the “Top Ten U.S. Charity Wine Auctions” in Wine Spectator magazine. Since 2005, Carnivale du Vin has raised $14 million for children’s charities.
About NOCCA Culinary Arts Program:
NOCCA added a four-year culinary arts program to its specialized arts conservatory curriculum. Emeril Lagasse Foundation funded five NOCCA Culinary Arts summer pilot sessions in 2007 through 2011 led by a guest instructor from Emeril Lagasse’s alma mater Johnson & Wales University. Since 2007, 70 Louisiana high-school aged students have graduated from the culinary arts program.