(08/09/22) NEW ORLEANS — Two Tennessee 4-H cooking teams walked away with first and second place from the Great American Seafood Cook-Off: 4-H Edition 2022 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on Aug. 7.

Each year, teams from the southeastern region compete for the bragging rights to being kings and queens of seafood.

This year, the two Tennessee teams took first and second place out of seven teams competing.

The Tipton County, Tennessee, team consisting of Brigitte Passman, 4-H agent and coach, and 4-H’ers Alayla McCoy, Auburny Currie and Tiffany Malone took first place.

Their Tuna Wonton Nachos won the hearts and the palates of this year’s judges.

Alayla McCoy, spokesperson for the winning team, said instead of traditional nachos, their dish really kicks it up a notch. They were inspired by barbecue nachos served in Memphis.

“We tried to play off that,” she said. “Well, instead of barbecue, we used tuna steaks, which is both unique and rare.”

The second-place team, also from Tennessee, hails from Marion County and consisted of Wesley Brewer, 4-H agent and coach; Kerri Brewer, coach and volunteer; and members Griffin Adkins, Payne Bumpus, Bryson Kilgore, Carson Keeler and Javen Logan.

This team put a Volunteer State twist on a Louisiana favorite. They dubbed their dish Tennessee Style Blackened Red Snapper Florentine.

The third-place team was from Scurry County, Texas, and they brought the heat with their Wild West Texas Crab Stuffed Shrimp with Two-Step Peach Pecan Jalapeno Glaze and Nopales Pistache Salad.

The team included Ronda White, 4-H agent and coach; Amanda Anderson, coach; and members Kelton White, Whitley Anderson, Molly Herring and Allie Gullett.

Esther Boe, Central Region 4-H coordinator with the LSU AgCenter and a coordinator of the event, said the purpose is for 4-H’ers to have a chance to apply nutrition and cooking skills they’ve learned.

“They are able to come here, present a dish after educating themselves about all the commodities that go into it,” she said. “And they all operate under the same rules — like every dish must be 750 calories or less, and it must highlight seafood in a positive manner.”

Louisiana 4-H had Bienville and Caddo parishes teams in the competition, said Ashley Powell, Northeast Region 4-H coordinator with the LSU AgCenter and one of the cookoff coordinators.

“Each state uses their own criteria to choose their state winners,” she said. “Our teams were chosen during 4-H University at LSU in June.”

The Bienville Parish team prepared Spicy Shrimp Tacos with Louisiana Yellow Watermelon Salsa and Corn Maque Choux. The team included Megan Martin, 4-H agent and coach; Kimberlyn Jones, SNAP-Ed agent and coach; and 4-H members Omar Bell and La’Nyjha Trent.

The three-member Caddo team prepared Steamed Seafood Dumplings. The team consisted of Katherine Pace, 4-H agent and coach; Kay Everette, coach; and members Ava Richardson, Louise Johnston and Aubrie Everett.

Other teams represented were from Winston County, Mississippi, with Easy Egg and Crab Muffins with Coastal Breakfast Skillet and Fruit Salad; and the Gilmer County, Georgia, team, with Shrimp Mousse-Stuffed Lane Snapper and Succotash served with Creamed Spinach Sauce.

In earlier times, 4-H programming focused heavily on commodity cook-offs and nutrition education workshops to introduce youth to basic cooking skills, food safety and workforce preparation.

But in 2010, the Great American Seafood Cook-Off: 4-H Edition was introduced into the Louisiana 4-H program –– which is taking their experiences to the next level and teaching students the culinary arts.

The 4-H edition of the cook-off is conducted in the same venue and is patterned after the Great American Seafood Cook-Off, which features professional chefs from across the United States competing against one another to prepare their best dish using domestic seafood products.

Instead of chefs, the 4-H edition features teams of two to four 4-H members in ninth through 12th grades. The contest focus is on preparing domestic seafood in a healthful dish that can be easily prepared at home.

Two Tennessee and two Texas seafood cook-off teams along with Mississippi, Georgia and Louisiana competed in the Great American Seafood Cook-Off: 4-H Edition 2022 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on August 7. The Tipton County, Tennessee, team won first place with their Tuna Wonton Nachos. Photo by Johnny Morgan/LSU AgCenter

The Tipton County, Tennessee, 4-H seafood cook-off team presenting their first place Tuna Wonton Nachos during the Great American Seafood Cook-Off: 4-H Edition 2022 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on August 7. Photo by Johnny Morgan/LSU AgCenter

Tuna Wonton Nachos, the first-place dish prepared by the Tipton County, Tennessee, 4-H seafood cook-off team at the Great American Seafood Cook-Off: 4-H Edition 2022 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on August 7. Photo by Johnny Morgan/LSU AgCenter