LAFAYETTE, La. — Of the dozen chefs from across the state chosen to compete in this year's Louisiana Seafood Cook-off, only one is from the Acadiana area.
Sullivan Zant, the executive chef at Vestal Restaurant downtown, grew up in Jennings and moved to Lafayette for college. During that time, he found his way into the restaurant industry, starting as a busser and working his way up.
"I've put 13 years into cooking in this local area, and it feels good to have the opportunity to be able to represent our community," Zant said. "With it being my home, feel like I kind of know what I'm doing, and I'm ready to go participate and have some fun and give it my all."
Giving it his all could earn him a crown, but it could also earn him the chance to compete at a higher level.
The winner of the Louisiana Seafood Cook-off will represent Louisiana in the Great American Seafood Cook-off.
"If I were to win, it would mean a great deal because, after all of the time I put into this, all of the education that I've gone through to be able to learn these skills and all the time that I've put in by not being able to go to birthdays, funerals, things like that, missing holidays, missing nights and weekends—things like that make it feel all worth it," he said.
While Zant couldn't tell us exactly what dish he'll be making during the competition, we do know it will feature Louisiana seafood, and he did say he would "experiment a little bit. Kind of go off-the-cuff but not get too crazy or, like you know, out there."
The Louisiana Seafood Cook-off takes place on May 31 in Monroe, followed by the Great American Seafood Cook-off held in New Orleans on August 3.
Follow my social media here to find out if our Acadiana chef wins his crown on May 31.
