The Louisiana Food & Wine Festival

The Louisiana Food & Wine Festival is a culinary and beverage celebration presented by Rouses Markets and hosted by Visit Lake Charles. The festival highlights Louisiana’s unique culture and heritage, celebrity guest chefs, local chefs, celebrity winemakers/proprietors, artisans, farmers, musicians, local craft spirits and beers, along with renowned wine, spirits, and beer brands from around the world.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 

Louisiana’s Celebrity Chefs Wine Dinner, 6:00 p.m. reception, 7:00 p.m. dinner, L’Auberge Casino Resort Lake Charles. 

A gourmet food and wine lover’s experience with a six-course dinner, this event features celebrated chefs inspired by Louisiana cuisine. This year’s chefs include Jernard Wells, celebrity TV host, chef and author; Paul Fehribach, executive chef and author, Big Jones, Chicago, Ill.; Huy Pham, Sushi Chef, Yakuza House, Metairie, La.; Kevin McCarthy, executive chef, L’Auberge Casino Resort Lake Charles; and Leonair Dorsey, head pastry chef, Gracious Bakery, New Orleans, La.. Each course will be paired with the perfect wine by Mollie Battenhouse, Master of Wines Jackson Family Wines, the official festival wine partner. The reception will showcase culinary creations from the students and instructors of SOWELA Technical Community College, along with Ryan Anderson, aka “Oyster Daddy,” Little Moon Oyster Ranch, from Grand Isle, La. 

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 

Louisiana Inspired Master Classes, 10:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., SOWELA Technical Community College, presented by SOWELA, Rouses Markets and Louisiana Seafood. 

• 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.: The Perfect Wine & Oyster Pairings with Mollie Battenhouse and Ryan Anderson. 

• 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.: Southern Inspired Smokey Seafood Mac & Cheese with Jernard Wells. Wells presents a signature seafood dish from his newest cookbook, Southern Inspired: More than 100 Delicious Recipes from My American Table to Yours, paired with a signature cocktail. 

• 1:30 – 2:30 p.m.: The Freshest of Fresh Sushi: Breaking Down a Yellowfin Tuna and Savoring Varieties of Different Cuts & Flavors with Huy Pham serving a variety of the freshest of fresh, yellowfin tuna sushi cut sampling appetizers paired with a signature cocktail. 

• 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.: Créole Soirée – Put a Party in Your Mouth! with Sheri Raleigh-Yearby. Enjoy the bold flavors of traditional Southwest Louisiana Créole cuisine and don’t forget the lagniappe and a special Tequila-Mezcal educational class/pairings! 

Fire on the Lake, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m., Bord du Lac Park, presented by Lake Charles Regional Airport.  

A quintessential Louisiana celebration of live fire cooking, the event features slow-cooked, grilled, and smoked meats, and Louisiana seafood and vegetarian creations. Enjoy unlimited tasting bites, wine, beer, and spirits with a souvenir glass. Zydeco music from Horace Trahan and the Ossun Express.  

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 

Louisiana Food & Wine Festival Grand Tasting 4:00 – 7:00 p.m., Bord du Lac Park. 

Enjoy an afternoon of culinary and beverage tastings with live music at Bord du Lac Park. Tickets are all-inclusive for food and beverage tastings. There will be a Rouses Markets Cooking Demonstration Stage and a Taste of Louisiana Alley with samplings from some of Louisiana’s best chefs. Louisiana’s Craft Brews Alley showcases breweries from around Louisiana, with fun and lively music from the Flamethrowers. 

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 

Sunday Jazz Brunch, 11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.; 12:30–2:00 p.m., SOWELA Technical Community College.  

The signature Jazz Brunch is an all-inclusive priced ticket featuring unlimited beverage tastings with a souvenir glass, live music, a brunch with carving stations, salad bars, Louisiana Seafood stations, made-to-order omelet stations, and desserts. The festival’s official beverage partners will participate with a bloody mary bar, mimosas, sparkling wines, sprits, wine, and beer.