Old Fashioned Boucherie & Smoke Meat Cook-Off announced at chamber meeting

An old fashioned boucherie and smoked meat cookoff to benefit the Ville Platte Boys and Girls Club will be held Saturday, February 25, 2017 at the Northside Civic Center.
Jesse Muse said, “Old fashioned is the key word to it. Right off the top, all proceeds will go to the Ville Platte Boys and Girls Club. No one is getting a dime out of this except the Boys and Girls Club.”
“With that being said, we decided to do something for our smoked meat industry, and two, where we could donate to the Boys and Girls Club.”
Muse and Dianna Johnson, director of the club, were the guest speakers at the January 18 Ville Platte Chamber of Commerce meeting.
Johnson said, “When Jesse approached us with this event, we jumped on it.”
The cook off will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. the Saturday before Mardi Gras. There will also be a Chochon De Lait at the event.
The competition categories are: smoked pounce, sausage/tasso and gumbo. Booths are $50. All food entered in the cookoff must be prepared on site, except for rice. Prizes will be awarded for Grand Champion, first, second and third place winners.
Admission to the event is $5 for those age 5 and over, and admission is free for those age 4 and under. There will be live entertainment and a disc jockey. Water, soft drinks and beer will be sold, and no ice chests will be allowed. There will be a fun jump and chicken chase during the event.
Veterans will also be honored at the event.
“It’s all about our smoked meat,” Muse said. “It’s not about the gumbo or the jambalaya. It’s about what that smoked meat does to that dish.”
The boucherie will begin at 8 a.m.
“This boucherie will be educational,” Muse said. “It will not be a boucherie that will just start and finish. Everything will play out, if people want to ask questions, they can ask questions. If they want to be hands on, they can be hands on.”
During the boucherie, items such as bouee, backbone stew, cracklins and sausage will be prepared. Sausage will also be smoked during the boucherie.
For more information or to register , call Muse at (337) 831-0214 or Johnson at (337) 789-3873.