Etouffee Cook-off greeted with sunshine, cool breeze

If the crawfish etouffee was a little too spicy for you Sunday, there was instant relief in the form of 60-degree temperatures and a cool wind. 
Mayor Scott Fontenot was stirring etouffee as he remarked, “It is  great turnout. It ended up a beautiful day.”
Fontenot added, “It is a good time. I love this event. I’ve been coming out here since I was a kid.”
Sunday’s 31st Annual World Championship Crawfish Etouffee Cook-off was Fontenot’s first as mayor, a title and job he won on March 5 in a special election. 
But the wind made itself known the entire day. 
Kip Bertrand helped his Cook-off crew pull down the canopy over their area at about noon. 
“We are just trying to enjoy the sunshine now,” he said after the canopy was down. “We need all of our hands to serve food as opposed to holding the canopy down.”
New State Rep. Phillip DeVillier had a booth. He too noted, “nice crowd, a little windy.” 
Kelli Leger, Brock Leger and Cameron DeRouen were relaxing and still under their tent, but out of etouffee when contacted. 
Kelli was the head cook and said she had not changed anything from her recipe she did a year ago for LAS. 
“It is kind of easy if you know to cook,” she said. “If I lose I’ll tell you more.”
The LAS secret to etouffee will have to wait. The Legers and DeRouen won first-place in the professional division. 
Kelli did say local crawfish is one key to excellent etouffee. 
Pat Frey, of the Eunice Mardi Gras Association, which won first-place in the club/organization division, said Dale Soileau did the cooking. 
But Frey said starting with Louisiana crawfish makes for a winning etouffee. 
Frey said his mother used butter and onions and “a lot of people still cook like that.” 
Frey advised against using a  heavy dose of spice in the etouffee. “You can always put it later. You can’t take it out,” he said. 
The Cook-off is a Eunice Chamber of Commerce event.
Cook-off winners are pictured on Pages 2 and 7.