(01/22/25) BATON ROUGE, La. — The LSU AgCenter Food Innovation Institute (FOODii) and the School of Nutrition and Food Sciences are planning a food demonstration series, Unlocking the Secrets of Food Sciences, that will delve into food science with a culinary twist.
The Louisiana Mardi Gras tradition of king cakes is the first in the series and will be held Friday, Feb. 28, from 5 to 8:30 p.m. in the test kitchen at the Animal and Food Sciences Laboratory Building on the LSU campus. Participants will have an opportunity to learn more about the functionality of the ingredients in a king cake and how to make a homemade version.
“We will talk about what role the ingredients play, the gluten in the dough, for example, why you let the king cake rise a little bit before you bake it,” LSU AgCenter food safety specialist Shannon Coleman said.
Coleman will be working with Ashley Gutierrez, assistant director of FOODii, and Evelyn Watts, LSU AgCenter and Louisiana Sea Grant seafood extension specialist on this series. Each will bring their unique food science experiences to the series.
Coleman said the king cake event will include:
Space is limited and registration is required. The cost to attend is $65, and each participant will leave with their own king cake. Register at https://tinyurl.com/ftunn9v2 or contact Ashley Gutierrez at AGutierrez@agcenter.lsu.edu for more information.
Coleman said they plan to offer the series every other month. Future topics include charcuterie boards, salsa and toaster pastries.
King cake will be the theme of the first food demonstration event in the LSU AgCenter series, Unlocking the Secrets of Food Sciences. Participants will learn the science behind making king cake and will have an opportunity to make their own. Photo by Tobie Blanchard/LSU AgCenter
The LSU AgCenter and the LSU College of Agriculture