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Chef crowned King of Louisiana Seafood Cook-off prepping for Great American Seafood Competition
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PRAIRIEVILLE - They say the third time's the charm but for Chef Owen Hohl, it was the first.
Hohl has been the chef over at Hot Tails in Prairieville for 13 years. He now has a new title: King of the 2023 Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off.
"My first year doing it, and I came out on top which was I was super nervous, but, I went in there and I knew my dish was going to be really good as long as I executed correctly. Make sure it looked real nice," Hohl said.
The competition kicked off last month in Lake Charles. Hohl faced off against 11 other chefs in Louisiana, each vying for the crown of the King of Seafood, and the competition was heated.
"One hour, two burners and electrical outlets to do whatever I needed to do. It freaked me out."
But, Hohl knew he had what it took to set it off in the kitchen and that's thanks to his southern culture.
"I was born in Honduras, moved to Louisiana when I was only two years old. Living here all my life, I've been surrounded by Louisiana seafood, crawfish, shrimp, fish, you know, anything Louisiana Gulf Coast. That's all I did."
And taking home this win, sets himself up for hopefully another. Hohl has been preparing for the Great American Cook-Off this weekend where he'll compete against 11 other chefs from states along the coast preparing the same award-winning dish that crowned him Louisiana Seafood King.
"My favorite fish is grouper. And I love crawfish, and then the vegetable was sweet potatoes, the potatoes are big in Louisiana. I also incorporated some of my culture in my background, using plantains, kind of switching it up a little bit using coconut milk and different herbs. So, to me, that was just kind of one of those where I can include some of mine and some of Louisiana into one dish."
It's a dish that two previous Louisiana chefs made and took home the crown, and Hohl wants to keep the tradition alive.
"I scored so well in it. There might be one or two little tweaks that we have to make, but I scored so well in it where I was like, I feel confident with that dish."
He'll have to convince four judges at the competition in New Orleans on Saturday. The competition starts at 11:30 a.m. at the Convention Center.
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