A Lifetime of Achievement...& Sausage! The BRES honors Manda CEO with a pre-Fête Rouge Dinner

The Baton Rouge Epicurean Society does a lot of amazing work for childhood nutrition in the area, and we just heard that at their Annual Awards Dinner they'll be honoring the co-owner and CEO of Manda Fine Meats, Robert "Bobby" Yarborough! Congratulations, dude! We love Manda sausage.

This year's honorees at a luncheon, with Yarborough in the center. Can you spot one of our Women in Booze, Dori Murvin? 

The Baton Rouge native has dedicated much of his life to serving the community, notably through his support of organizations like the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank, Family Road, YMCA, Boys & Girls Club and the Baton Rouge General Hospital.

The honor couldn't be going to a more deserving guy.

Yarborough will be honored with the Grace ‘Mama’ Marino Lifetime Achievement Award on August 27, 2015, at the Annual Awards Dinner held at L’Auberge Hotel & Casino.

A seven-course dinner will be served in his honor by local area chefs and will feature a selection of fine wines paired with each course. The dinner kicks off the Fête Rouge Weekend, which showcases prominent Baton Rouge area chefs and some of the finest wines from around the world.

Tickets are $200 per person or $1,600 for a table of eight. For more information and tickets to the festival, check out www.feterougebr.com.

Dori Murvin: Sorceress of Service

Almost everyone has a connection to the service industry. Whether you're a frequent restaurant diner or a former (or current for that matter) service industry employee, you are surely aware that there are some people who dedicate their lives to making each of your restaurant experiences memorable. We see general managers doing table visits and celebrated chefs with write ups in magazines, but there are others that pump blood through the restaurant industry.

After being laid off during a large corporate buyout with Maison Blanche, accountant Dori Murvin began waiting tables at the old Colonel's Club where Chelsea's Café currently sits in Baton Rouge. Six months into the game, Murvin moved up to bartending. A year in, she was managing. Dori moved to Mansur's to fill in for a couple of months and ended up working there for 5 years where she fell in love with wine and began handling their wine program. After that, she helped whip the Camelot Club's wine program in to shape and worked with Chef Peter Sclafani at Ruffino's with their new wine dinner program at the time. Further along in her career she worked at Fleming's as their wine director.

Dori Murvin Enjoys a Glass of Wine

Over the years, the bond Dori formed with players throughout the industry began to turn into something more. She and some of her friends started talking about creating a wine round-table to better the dining experiences offered in Baton Rouge. They wanted to help gain buying power for the market to bring in wines not typically seen in the city. Talks turned to action thus producing the Baton Rouge Epicurean Society. The organization is known for their glorious events, such as Fête Rouge, that raise money to be poured directly back into the community. Each fête is a competition, and with Dori Murvin as one of the founders, there is most definitely a Fête du Vin. She is in charge of getting the wine flights prepared for tasting, contacting teams to taste each wine, and more recently has expanded the the event to include local sommeliers to help further educate the tasters and enhance their experience. 

She worked at a few more restaurants along the way until one fateful evening when she attended a friends and family night at the newly opened Beausoleil Restaurant and Bar. It was love at first sip. "Jeff (the general manager) went and grabbed some of [chef] Nathan's gnocchi and I tried it with the pinot and said, 'I have to work here.'" At the time Conaway couldn't offer her a management position, but Murvin believed in the food so much she offered to return to a server position for the opportunity to work at the new, inspired eatery. She showed up for work the following Tuesday in 2010 and the rest is history. "I love working here. The food's good, the wine's good, it's just a good place. I don't have a poker face, I have to work somewhere I believe in." Now serving as the Front of the House Manager and Wine Director at Beausoleil, Dori dedicates herself to keeping Beausoleil on the cutting edge of the local dining scene. She also does wine consulting for other programs in the city and is still heavily involved in all aspects of the Baton Rouge Epicurean Society. 

Dori Murvin is a strong, in-charge female who has been consistently killing it in the Baton Rouge service industry for years. Discovering her love of fine wines along the way ended up being a stepping stone that lead to being one of the founders of an extremely charitable organization in the capital city. The Baton Rouge service industry needs more passionate people like Dori who dedicate themselves to the making fine cuisine and wines approachable and elevating our food culture.

This post is part of a new monthly series spotlighting Louisiana women in the business of booze. Previous features include:
Natalie Parbhoo: Duchess of Distribution
Lindsay Nations: Baroness of Beer

Feast of the Crawfish: BRES's CrawFête

The Baton Rouge Epicurean Society is heating up for the third installation of CrawFête! I've attended this event for the past couple of years and I can't wait for another round. There's an all star cast of restaurants and chefs participating, sweet prizes lined up for auction, and plenty of bites and booze to go around at Mockler Beverage Company.

Auction items range from progressive dinners to a private crawfish boil from Sammy's Grill. The best part about this delicious event is all proceeds go towards local childhood health and nutrition programs. I love eating for a cause!

Participants for this year include: Bin 77 Bistro & Bar, Culinary Productions, Galatoire’s Bistro, Hot Tails Restaurant, Juban’s Restaurant, Latil’s Landing Restaurant at Houmas House Plantation, Mestizo’s Restaurant, Outback Steakhouse, The Pelican House, Ralph & Kacoo’s, Restaurant IPO, Ruffino’s Restaurant, Sammy’s Grill Catering, Stroube’s Steakhouse, and Sullivan’s Steakhouse.

Tickets are $50 per person and well worth it considering that's dinner, drinks, and a good time! Grab yours before they're gone--see ya there!

Bite and Booze Radio Show: Fête Rouge

Renee Molbert with Best in Show Chef Nelson Chang
Photo by Jenn Ocken Photograpy

We recorded this show at the Fete Rouge event back in August but it didn't air until this past Saturday on Talk 107.3 FM. Now, for your listening pleasure, it is available here and on iTunes!

Just before football season begins each year the culinary masses of Baton Rouge gather for a food and wine spectacle put on by the Baton Rouge Epicurean Society known as Fête Rouge. This year I had a chance to sit down with Chuck P. from the Me and My Big Mouth Show, Chef Sean Rivera from Niche Restaurant, Anne Milneck from the Red Stick Spice Company, Charlie Ruffolo from LCI, and Tommy Talley from Tommy's TV during the festivities to record a radio show. Listen to the podcast version of the Bite and Booze Radio Show for a little play by play from the event, and check out all the big winners from Fête Rouge below!



2013 Winners of the Fête Rouge Chefs Competition:

Best in Show Award
Southern Bouillabaisse-Gulf and Louisiana Seafood with crab boil rouille and a bouillabaisse broth
Chef Nelson Chang -Crowne Plaza Hotel

People’s Choice Award
Abita braised pork belly with yellow stone ground grits and Steen’s cane syrup gastrique
Chef Chris Motto-Mansurs on the Boulevard

Seafood Category
1st Place–Southern Bouillabaisse-Gulf and Louisiana Seafood with crab boil rouille and a bouillabaisse broth
Chef Nelson Chang -Crowne Plaza Hotel
2nd Place-Geaux Geaux Balls-Spicy Glazed Louisiana Shrimp and Pork Meat Balls topped with Sesame Seeds and Chopped Scallions
Chef Kevin Grelle & Chef Nick Bergeron-Sammy’s Grill Catering
3rd Place-Shrimp & Grits-Blue Crab stuffed shrimp wrapped in cajun bacon, grit cake, corn maque choux puree
Chef Jimmy Johnson-Stadium Sports Bar & Grill @ L'Auberge

Meat Category
1st Place - Abita braised pork belly with yellow stone ground grits and Steen’s cane syrup gastrique
Chef Chris Motto-Mansurs on the Boulevard
2nd Place - Grand bayou chicken-Pecan smoked chicken breast stuffed with a crawfish foe gras sausage finished with southern succotash and grand bayou potatoes
Chef William Wells-Culinary Productions
3rd Place - Ayam Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice)- Fire grilled chicken thighs atop indonesian street rice cucumber gelee, pickled carrots & sriracha caviar. Garnished with a skin crisp & drizzled in a Soy Gastrique.
Chef Matthew Reed-Reed’s Cakes

Lousiaiana Lagniappe Category
1st Place - Pork Temple Agnolotti with Chanterelle Conserva, mirliton and satsuma salad topped with an absinthe air
Chef Jon Breaux-The Camelot Club
2nd Place - Smoked Shrimp & Tasso Tacos- LA shrimp smoked with Chappapeela Farms Tasson garnished with Covey Rise Farms Pico & served in a mini taco shell
Chef Chris Wadsworth-Restaurant IPO
3rd Place - Blackened Alligator Taco in a Cup
Chef Drew England-The Edible Event

Dessert Category
1st Place - La Muse-Caramelized Bananas, crowned with praline cheesecake & Chocolate 'Muse Shoe'
Chef Beverly & Chef Patin –Louisiana Culinary Institute.
2nd Place - Milk Chocolate Praline-chocolate air cake, praline crunch & caramel
Chef Arlety Estevez – Bon Temps Buffet @ L’Auberge Casino
3rd Place - Chocolate Mousse Tart-Dark Chocolate Mousse tart with Salted caramel tuile & raspberry caviar
Chef Nancy DeVille-Ruffino’s on the River

The Night's Winning Chefs - Photo by Jenn Ocken Photography

2013 Fete Rouge Media Wine Judging Awards

Chardonnay Category
******** Best overall White Wine***********
Gold – Lola Chardonnay, Sonoma County, California (Nearly Perfect 9.8 SCORE)
****************************************
Silver – White Hart Winery Chardonnay, Santa Lucia Highlands, California
Bronze – Hollywood and Vine Chardonnay, Napa Valley, California

Value Chardonnay Category
Gold – Jackhammer Chardonnay, Central Coast, California
Silver – JaM Cellars “Butter” Chardonnay, Central Coast, California
Bronze – Lapis Luna Chardonnay, Monterey, California

Sauvignon Blanc Category
Gold – Round Pond Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley, California
Silver – Greenlip Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand
Bronze – Dry Creek “Fume Blanc”, Sonoma County, California

Interesting White Category
Gold – Franciscan “Equilibrium” White Blend, Napa Valley, California
Silver – Lager de Bouza Albarino, Rias Baixas, Spain
Bronze – Stella Pinot Grigio, Umbria, Italy

Sparkling Category
Gold – De Paolo Prosecco, Italy
Silver – Monmartre Blanc de Blancs, Brut, France
Bronze – Laetitia Estate, Arroyo Grande, California

Spicy Red Category
******** Best overall Red Wine***********
Gold – Barr Estate Petit Verdot, Central Coast, California (Perfect 10 SCORE)
****************************************
Silver – Clarksburg Petite Sirah, Sacramento Delta, California
Bronze – Rosenblum “Old Vine” Zinfandel, Sonoma County, California

Spanish Red Category
Gold – Bodegas Juan Gil Monastrell, Jumilla, Spain
Silver – Achaval Ferrer Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina
Bronze – Montes “Alpha” Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina

Rhone Style Reds Category
Gold – Opolo Rhone Blend, Paso Robles, California
Silver – Milou Rhone Blend, Vin de Pay, Languedoc, France
Bronze – Pena “Pyrénées-Orientales” Rhone Blend, Vin de Pay, France

Merlot Category
Gold – Alexander Valley Vineyards Merlot, Alexander Valley, California
Silver – Columbia Crest “H3 Vineyard” Merlot, Columbia Valley, Washington State
Bronze – Earrazuriz “Max Reserva” Carmenere, Aconcagua Valley, Chile

Pinot Noir Category
Gold – Simi Pinot Noir, Sonoma County, Napa
Silver – White Hart Winery Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands, California
Bronze – Lyric Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara, California

Value Pinot Noir Category
Gold – Lola Pinot Noir, North Coast, California
Silver – Alfredo Roca Pinot Noir, Mendoza, Argentina
Bronze – Sterling Pinot Noir, Carneros, California

Red Blend Category
Gold – Bogle “Phantom Red”, Sonoma County, California
Silver – Bennet Lane “Maximus”, Napa Valley, California
Bronze –Col Solare Red Blend, Columbia Valley, Washington State

Value Red Blend Category
Gold – The Dreaming Tree “Crush Red Blend”, California
Silver – Heavyweight Red Blend, California
Bronze – Once Upon a Vine Red Blend, California

Cabernet Sauvignon Category
Gold – Billhook Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California
Silver – Laurel Glen “Counterpoint” Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County, California
Bronze – Novelty Hill Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, Washington State

Value Cabernet Sauvignon Category
Gold – Smith and Hook Cabernet Sauvignon, Central Coast, California
Silver – White Hart Winery Cabernet Sauvignon, Central Coast, California
Bronze – Lapis Luna “Moon Eyes” Cabernet Sauvignon, Lodi, California

For more information, please visit www.feterougebr.com.

The Bite and Booze Radio Show presented by Calandro's Supermarket airs on Saturdays at 5 PM on Talk 107.3 FM in Baton Rouge.  It is also available on iTunes.  The show's sponsors include Calandro's Supermarket, Visit Baton Rouge, Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning, Louisiana Cookin' Magazine, Juban's Restaurant, the Tin Roof Brewing Company, and the Louisiana Culinary Institute.

Baton Rouge Epicurean Society presents the 7th Annual Fete Rouge

2012 Fete Rouge Winners

One of the largest culinary events of the year for Baton Rouge is coming up on Friday, August 23. The 7th annual Fete Rouge is upon us, and I'd like to personally encourage all area foodies or just big eaters to join me!

The Baton Rouge Epicurean Society's Friday event showcases prominent Baton Rouge area chefs and some of the finest wines from around the world.

The event actually kicks off on Thursday, August 22nd, with the Grace “Mama” Marino Lifetime Achievement Dinner, honoring Vince Ferachi, owner of Capitol City Produce and dedicated supporter of the Baton Rouge community. The dinner will include seven impeccably designed courses, each paired with a carefully selected fine wine. The feast will be prepared by some of Baton Rouge’s including Peter and Gino Sclafani from Ruffino’s Restaurant, William Wells of Culinary Productions, Jeremy Langlois of Latil’s Landing Restaurant at Houmas House Plantation, Cody and Samantha Carroll of Hot Tails Restaurant, David Dickensauge of Bin 77 Bistro and Wine, Kelley McCann of Galatoire’s Bistro, and Gary Schenck of The Crowne Plaza Hotel in Baton Rouge.

The big Food and Wine Fete kicks off at 6:00 PM Friday and features a competition in which 40 local chefs will each prepare their best dish. Gold medals and “Best in Show” prizes will be awarded, and I'll actually be serving as one of the judges. The evening will also showcase more than 200 wines from around the world. You'll be able to sample the food and wine throughout the evening while enjoying live music and entertainment. Friday’s event will also feature a silent auction and raffle benefiting the “Girls on the Run of Baton Rouge.” One lucky raffle participant will win a bottle of each wine featured at the event.

Tickets for Thursday evening are $200 per person, or $1,600 for a table of eight.  Tickets for Friday’s Food and Wine Fete are $50 in advance, and $65 at the door.  For more information and tickets to the festival, which will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, check out www.feterougebr.com.

Join Me at Fete Rouge 2012!

6th Annual Grace “Mama” Marino Lifetime Achievement Award Honoring Tullio Saffiotti Presented by Baton Rouge Epicurean Society  Thursday, August 23, 2012 Crowne Plaza Hotel This award recognizes a person from the Baton Rouge area who has dedicated their life to service in the Baton Rouge community and is named in honor of its first recipient. The evening features a 7-course dinner served and specially prepared by local chefs honoring his Sicilian heritage. Paired with a selection of fine wines complementing each course. Entertainment by Ned Fasullo & his Fabulous Big Band Orchestra. Awards Dinner Tickets honoring Tullio Saffiotti are $200/person  AWARDS DINNER TICKETS CLICK HERE  Food & Wine Fête  Presented by Baton Rouge Epicurean Society  Friday, August 24th, 2012  6pm-9pm Crowne Plaza Hotel This event will host the Fête Rouge LA Chefs Competition where local chefs will prepare their best dishes for the chance at winning a Gold Medal or Best in Show. Over 150 wines to taste from around the globe as well as tasting all the delicacies prepared by local chefs participating in the Chefs Competition Purchase a raffle ticket to own an instant 150 bottle wine cellar! Live entertainment & Silent Auction Food & Wine Fête Tickets are $50 in advance/$65 at the door. FOOD & WINE FETE TICKETS HERE  Red, White & Roux Presented by Baton Rouge Epicurean Society, Sister Dulce Foundation & Crowne Plaza Hotel Baton Rouge Saturday, August 25, 2012 Crowne Plaza Hotel, Baton Rouge Time:  9:00 am – 3:15 pm  Registration at 9 (sparkling wine & light refreshments) Wine seminars: Napa Valley Vinicultural Districts and their Wine Production South American Vinicultural Areas and Top Tier Wine Producers with Tasting Food seminars: Wine &  Cheese Pairings Cooking with Game & Wine Ultimate Buffet featuring demonstrations by national chefs who will be featured at the Dining by Design event on Sunday evening capped by the Ultimate Chef Competition  featuring  Fr. Dominic Garramone,  “The Bread Monk”chef from St. Bede Abbey , Illinois and Fr. Leo Patalinghug, the “Grace Before Meals” chef from Mount St. Mary’s University,Maryland. The Dining by Design celebrity chefs will be assisting as sous chefs and judges. Full day ticket is $150; Brunch ticket is $75 RED, WHITE & ROUX TICKETS HERE  Baton Rouge Food & Wine Fȇte Package Information HERE Photography by Jenn Ocken Photography To learn more about the Baton Rouge Epicurean Society & the charitable programs Fȇte Rouge benefits CLICK HERE