Listen to an International Culinary Travel Institute interview with Renée Areng, Executive VP of Visit Baton Rouge regarding the wealth of culinary opportunities in Baton Rouge.

 

 

Introduction to Baton Rouge Cuisine

We’re always cooking up a good time in Baton Rouge, and you’re invited to taste the flavors that keep everybody coming back for more! People come to our city for many and varied reasons, but they all come with one common desire – to delight in the extraordinary cuisines that are indigenous to Louisiana. 

In a region with rich soil, a year-round tropical climate and the seafood bounty of the Gulf of Mexico providing the raw ingredients, Louisiana ’s French, Spanish and Caribbean ancestors used imagination and resourcefulness to create recipes so enticing and delicious that we now have our own food niche.  

Creole and Cajun cooking are here to stay, and they’re guaranteed to satisfy the most discriminating palate! Fresh boiled seafood. Steaming homemade gumbo. Succulent crawfish étouffée. Spicy jambalaya. Bourbon drenched bread pudding. The list of mouth-watering regional dishes is as long as the list of equally exciting Cajun, Creole and French restaurants ready to exceed your expectations. The abundance of menus and dishes found  throughout our city make it difficult for visitors to decide where to eat and what to order! 

If you’re lucky enough to be here during crawfish season, typically March - June, be sure to try this delicacy boiled, where eating with your hands is not just acceptable, it’s the rule. 

Another treat you won’t want to miss is a legendary home-style dinner served at one of our many plantation restaurants. Sip mint juleps on the porch, as spicy red beans & rice with freshly baked cornbread are prepared from recipes dating back more than 100 years. And if these tantalizing treats stir your appetite for great food, this is only just the beginning. 

Although you’re sure to find some of the best Cajun flavor and Creole spice you’ve ever tasted, there’s more to Baton Rouge’s dining scene than just Louisiana cuisine. Baton Rouge’s restaurants also offer a vast array of highly acclaimed international are. Authentic Indian, Lebanese, Italian, Chinese, Japanese and Thai restaurants contribute to the exciting and varied dining options usually found in larger metropolitan cities. With all of these and more, Baton Rouge has an endless variety of flavors that will have your mouth watering! Our variety of delicious cuisine is certainly something to write home about, and it’ll definitely be one of the many reasons you come back! 

 

Culinary Experience

If a hands-on culinary experience is what you want, we’ve got it! Take a tour of a food manufacturing plant, sip and stroll at our wine and culinary fest or participate in a cooking demonstration led by popular local chefs. 

The Baton Rouge Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is your connection to the full culinary experience, where you don’t just taste the food – you savor the flavor of Louisiana’s Capital City! 

 

CHEF JOHN FOLSE USDA

MANUFACTURING PLANT TOURS

Chef John Folse & Company

Manufacturing services a wide variety of customers in the foodservice industry. From your favorite casino buffet to the restaurant down the street, you will find Chef John Folse & Company products on the menu. People everywhere are enjoying our products: residents in nursing homes and employees at manufacturing facilities, hospitals and many other places of business. You can find Chef John Folse & Company products all over the map from Las Vegas to Kansas City. The

CVB can book a guided tour of the Chef John Folse & Company Manufacturing facility for

your group on Fridays. The tour lasts approximately 30 minutes and is followed by a product tasting in the facility conference room. 

 

MAGNOLIA MOUND –

OPEN HEARTH COOKING

Magnolia Mound, a plantation located just outside of downtown Baton Rouge, hosts open hearth cooking demonstrations on Tuesdays and Thursdays, October through May. Costumed docents lead groups in cooking in an authentic open-hearth kitchen, and then allow participants to enjoy the results of their work. 

 

TONY’S SEAFOOD

Tony’s Seafood, the largest seafood market in the Gulf South, provides a unique culinary experience only found in South Louisiana. Tony’s features everything from boiled crawfish to live catfish. Locals and visitors alike flock to Tony’s for what has frequently been named the best live and boiled seafood in Baton Rouge. Open 7 days a week, Tony’s can pack their Cajun specialties to travel or ship them nationwide. And after you shop, enjoy a deli or plate lunch. 

 

LOUISIANA CULINARY INSTITUTE

The Louisiana Culinary Institute infuses classical and international cuisines to produce world-class chefs. Dine at the on-site restaurant open during the week or let the Institute host your next corporate team building activity. You can even schedule a group tour of the facilities, and possibly catch a glimpse of the next world-class chef in the demonstration kitchen! 

 

YOUNG CHEF’S ACADEMY

Come on into Chef Michelle’s kitchen where kids learn the basics of cooking – and learn that cooking can be quite creative, full of discovery and a whole lot of fun! Young Chef’s Academy is available for special events, birthday parties, mini-camps or field trips. Classes available include: Kindercooks, College Survival Skills, Young Chefs, Junior Chefs, Master Chefs, Home School Chefs and Weekend Workshops. 

 

MAIN STREET MARKET AND

RED STICK FARMER’S MARKET

You can book a cooking demonstration at Main Street Market, a popular lunch stop in the heart of downtown Baton Rouge. The CVB will help arrange for a local chef to show your group around the kitchen. On most Saturdays throughout the year, Main Street Market also features the Red Stick Farmer’s Market. Vendors consist of Louisiana small family farmers and local artisans. Items available for purchase include: Fresh fruits and vegetables, Angus beef, poultry, farm fresh eggs, dairy products, fresh baked goods, fresh cut flowers, seasonal plants, native Louisiana wines, spices, sausage and cheese. 

And that’s not all! There are always new opportunities for your group to discover a one-of-a-kind culinary experience in Baton Rouge. Give us a call and we’ll do the leg work for you!