It was a hot but fun time at the Lamar Dixon Expo Center as your FBF President cooked in the 2025 Jambalaya World Championship. This year I teamed up with the man himself, Shane Martinez. Shane and his wife Pam own Krazy Kajun Cookware and Fabrication in St. Amant. They make the pots that we use to feed the multitudes.
Now my previous two attempts at this contest were very unsuccessful and frustrating. Competition style jambalaya is way different than what we cook on a weekly basis.
Everyone gets the same ingredients to choose from. Salt, pepper, granulated garlic, cayenne, fresh onions, green onions, bell peppers, garlic, celery, hot sauce, bone-in hen, and long grain rice. [I think I covered them all]
Shane kept me on track for sure this year and I learned a lot in the process. There were somewhere around 95 cooks to start. After the first round we placed 28th. The next round, only 32 cooks moved to the semi-finals on Sunday morning. Our cook time was 6 a.m. Oh what fun! We arrived at 4:30 to get squared away and lit the fire at 6 a.m.
We had a beautiful batch that round. Out of 32 cooks, we placed 3rd. What an incredible feeling, making it to the finals of the World Championships! Once the 12 were selected, you had no time to waste to set-up your pot and organize your cooking area.
The finals were just as exciting as the first two rounds and Shane and I went for the gold! Unfortunately for us, that would not happen in the final round. The batch looked incredible, but we had a little scorching going on and that tainted the overall taste. Our hopes for the golden paddle were dashed this year, but we made a heck of run for it!
I can not thank Shane, Pam, Chad and Lacy enough for the support they provided this year. Of course I cannot thank my wife Peggy enough for sitting right beyond the barriers watching us cook for two days. It was fun, but really hot! I cannot stress that enough. Looking forward to next year. Maybe Shane will let me be his helper next year and we can try to run the table!
Save the date for 2026, it is always Memorial Day weekend. See you there in 2026!
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