THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2015

B1

ALLS FAIR
IN ALLEN
Allen Parish
Fair, parade set
for Sept. 16-19
B3

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

By Mary Newport

mnewport@americanpress.com
Theres a lot to eat in Southwest Louisiana,
from poboys dripping with shrimp and gravy
to well-spiced gumbo swimming with crawfish.
There are many foods distinctive of the region,
and you might be hard-pressed to decide which
one defines it. But if someone asks which is the
most-mentioned, with a sign up on every third
building and pride of place at every butchers,
the answer is clear. Here, boudin is king and
in keeping with the royal prerogative, its about
to go to war.
On Saturday, the Brimstone Historical Society of Sulphur will host a sausage party of epic
proportions with Boudin Wars, a battle of the
chefs that pits local restaurants against each
other. Boudin makers will put their recipes to
the test, offering samples to a panel of judges
and 500 hungry members of the public in hope
of carrying home the adulation of the masses
and a first-place trophy.
Boudin Wars is a celebration of our cultural heritage, said Thom Trahan, executive
director of the Brimstone Historical Society.
We use the event to foster appreciation for one
of our areas most well-known delicacies.
So far, seven restaurants have signed up
for the contest, though Trahan said hes still
receiving calls and does not know what the final
number may be. Each restaurant will bring
several types of boudin fitting into one of two
categories, traditional or specialty/exotic. Traditional is classic boudin, pork and rice with
all its permutations of seasoning and flavoring.
Specialty opens the floor for anything, from
crawfish and shrimp boudin to cornbread or
alligator boudin.
The specialty category so far includes
entries such as boudin balls, shrimp boudin,
smoked pepperjack boudin and so much more,
Trahan said.
Like all the best dishes, Lake Charles offers
infinite variety on a simple theme a very
simple theme. Michael Soileau, butcher at
Prime Cuttery, said theres not much complexity in the making of boudin.
Its a very simple process, he said. What
we do is cook 60 pounds of pork for two hours
and 15 minutes, mix 15 pounds of long grains
(rice) and stuff it in the hog casing.
The recipe for traditional boudin is pretty
basic pig plus rice plus casing but there
are a million differences in flavorings and
seasonings, the proportion of rice to pork, the
crispness of the casing, the chunkiness of the
filling and the spiciness of the sausage. All
these factors combine to lend a distinct flavor to
each makers boudin. Soileau, and old hand at
boudin making and a veteran of Boudin Wars,
said he knows most of the makers in the area
and is looking forward to seeing them. He used
to work at Market Basket, one of the businesses
Prime Cuttery will be competing against, but
there isnt a hint of rivalry in his tone when he
talks about the upcoming event.
We all know each other, all the guys out
there have spent years in the meat business. I
think its a great opportunity for boudin makers

to have a brotherhood, he said. I think its a

great atmosphere. You have about 500 people
out there sampling everybodys boudin and its
a great way for us to get out there and see what
the public thinks.
Michael Hollier, of Holliers Cajun Kitchen,
seems to have the same attitude. Both the
kitchen and Holliers Cajun Diner are owned
by Wayne and Marie Hollier and their children, Michael and Jennifer. The familys restaurants will be competing against each other
in Boudin Wars, a prospect Michael seems to
relish.
Its gonna be a competition of both of our
restaurants against each other, he said. Im
always saying we should have a volleyball
game or something. Were gonna pretend
were playing ball. Its gonna be fun.
Both restaurants have boudin by the
pound on the menu, and Holliers Cajun Diner is also part meat market, with a variety of
fresh meats and processing facilities. Both
pride themselves on their boudin-making
capabilities, and
they seem to have
a good reason.
Holliers is a
repeat winner
at Boudin Wars,
with victories in
both categories.
We got first
place traditional
in 2013, second
place in 2014,
Michael said.
Last year I
got first place
with the boudin
balls. In 2013 I
got second place, I did a specialty/
exotic boudin it was alligator,
crawfish, shrimp what else did
I put in there crabmeat. It was
called Seafood Extravaganza. On
top of all that we got the Peoples
Choice Award. I kind of went over and got
a bunch of trophies.
Trophy winners are determined by
a panel of judges, who taste each type
of boudin on offer and award places in
each category. This years panel will be
announced on the day of the event. The
Peoples Choice Award is determined
by the attendees. Everyone who buys
a ticket may cast one vote for the
best boudin in the house. Tickets
are available at the Brimstone

visitlakecharle

s.org

See BOUDIN, B2

BALL
VS

LINK

visitlakecharles.org

Parade to kick off Westlake picnic

By Rita LeBleu

rlebleu@americanpress.com
A picnic in the park with familyfriendly fun for all ages is scheduled
for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday,
Sept. 19 at Pinederosa Park in Westlake.
The event kicks off with a parade
from St. John Bosco Church to the
park, located at 2901 Westwood Road.
Jo-El Sonnier is parade marshal.
Grammy winner Sonnier singer, songwriter and master accordionist will open the event with his
high-energy and down-to-earth style
that can include country, Cajun,
zydeco and R&B music.
Other performers will take the
stage throughout the day. Antique
and vintage cars will be on display.
Admission is free.

This picnic is just a prelude

of what weve planned for next
year, said Wanda Caldarera, vice
president of La Ville Uni board of
directors. Weve been planning
this for some time. With the election
of the new city of Westlake mayor
and councilmen, the timing seemed
right.
LaVille Uni is French for the
city united. The groups goal is to
host an annual festival that helps
recognize and celebrate the quality
of life, the abundant resources and
the friendly people of the city of
Westlake, according to Caldarera.
Attendees may bring lawn chairs,
picnic lunches and non-alcoholic
beverages. Hot dogs, frito pies, snow
cones and soft drinks will be available for purchase.

Local clubs and organizations

will provide a dunking booth, washers toss, face painting and other
activities.
Door prizes, donated by Westlake
businesses, will be awarded during
the picnic.
We just want to just bring the
people of Westlake together and
invite others throughout Southwest
Louisiana to the picnic to show them
Westlake is a great place to live,
work and play, Caldera said.
Grants from the Lake Charles
Southwest Louisiana Convention
and Visitors Bureau and from the
Arts and Humanities Council of
Southwest Louisiana will help fund
this event.
For more information, call 5405950.

Battle of the Bows

coming to Strand Theatre
By Doris Maricle

dmaricle@americanpress.com
JENNINGS The sound of
fiddle music will
fill the air of the
historic Strand
Theatre next
month during
the inaugural
Battle of the
Bows Cajun
Fiddle Competition.
The event will be 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, Oct. 10, in conjunction with
the Grand Reveil Acadien.
The concept was the creation

of several different people all

interested in preserving our Cajun
heritage, organizer and local musician Doug Dugas said. It just so
happened it fell at
a time to complement the Grand
Reveil Acadien
celebration.
Organizers
hope to make
the Battle of the
Bows the premier
fiddle competition for the area.
We plan to make it bigger and
better each year, Dugas said.

See BATTLE, B2