Taster's Choice: Bigger and better than ever

The 4th Annual Taster’s Choice at LSUE Acadian Center was a sold-out success for the Eunice Community Health Center, according to the event coordinators. Those in attendance on Wednesday had a chance to sample and vote for over 27 different dishes.
The big winner this year was the same as last year. The Lafayette-based restaurant iMonelli took first place in the professional category for best entree for its seafood crepes.
Ruby’s Restaurant & Courtyard received the first-place honor in the “people’s choice” award category, while placing second in the professional category for its Seafood Dot entree.
While judges had a blind tasting of all of the dishes, attendees of the Taster’s Choice voted for their favorite dish of the night for the “people choice” award. Local professional caterers Tremar placed third in the category.
In the Professional Dessert category, Coushatta Casino & Resort took the first-place award with two different types of homemade king cakes. Tremar took second place in the professional dessert category. Tas-Tee Treats of Basile came in third and secured the first-place award for the “people’s choice” selection.
In the Amateur Entree category, Savoie’s took first place while local resident, Randy Toepfer, took second place for his homemade, savory sauce picante. And the Eunice Woodmen of the World took third place for their “pasta-laya”, a tasty jambalaya made with penne pasta in place of rice.
Grace Toepfer, the daughter of Randy Toepfer, won first place and the people’s choice award for her confection creation in the Amateur Dessert category.
Yancy Fontenot, director of the Eunice Community Health Center, said that the sold-out event made for the best Taster’s Choice event in the last four years to date and raised much needed funds for the local clinic.