Emeril’s Restaurants Serve Up Culinary Student’s Signature Dish to Make a Change

Not that you need an excuse, but here's another great reason to head over to Emeril's for an amazing meal!  The Emeril Lagasse Foundation recently announced it's winner from the recipe contest "Dish that makes a Difference".  Culinary arts student,  Janeé Taylor was crowned the winner with her exquisite dish "Louisiana Surf and Turf"  with grilled rib eye, seafood mashed potatoes and Cajun crab boiled asparagus.  If your mouth is watering, no problem.  You can sample the award winning meal for yourself at Emeril’s restaurants in New Orleans, Orlando and Las Vegas; $5 from each dish sold will be donated to Emeril Lagasse Foundation to support the culinary arts.

Janeé Taylor, is a 2011 graduate of Warren Easton High School in New Orleans and the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA).  She is now a freshman studying Culinary Arts at Johnson & Wales University which is also Lagasse’s alma mater in Providence, Rhode Island.  Taylor's grandmother inspired her in the kitchen, but Emeril is her idol.  Her dream is to one day own a restaurant, travel and hopefully write a cookbook too.  I think she's off to a great start!

For the recipe contest, Emeril challenged NOCCA’s culinary arts students to compose an original, seasonal dish showcasing New Orleans’ signature cuisine. Supporters from across the country were invited to vote online for their favorite recipe – and over 6,000 voters selected the winner featured on the menu and served in Emeril's restaurants.  The recipe contest and charitable promotion is 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.

*Since 2007, Emeril has helped establish a high school Culinary Arts program at NOCCA that has mentored aspiring students from across south Louisiana. Emeril Lagasse Foundation has granted over $700,000 to create a state-of-the-art professional quality teaching kitchen, develop curriculum and grow this first-of-its-kind educational program.  For more information on the program check out - Emeril.org