Why festivals? Why city wide food events that incorporate different restaurants, chefs, cooks, and culinary artists? 

In celebrating the very best parts of Baton Rouge, Franz Borghardt, Owner and Founder of Geaux Rouge, discovered early that there were two ways of showcasing this great city. He could either promote people and businesses individually, giving a tour that made individual stops along the way, or could bring it all together in experiences that bring everyone together at one place and time. Perhaps people coming to these events would explore something they had never had before and learn something new.  Perhaps this exploration would even cause them to learn something about themselves. And by the way, food is the great social conduit--The universal unifier of people of different walks of life. The event wouldn't create culture but instead magnetize culture into a focal moment where we could come together and celebrate together. Or maybe it was just about good food? 

Regardless, Geaux Rouge has allowed Franz to use its platform to create events such as The Perkins Road Burger Fest, a charity event held last January which benefited Mary Bird Perkins and the A.C. Lewis YCMA, and now The Capital City Mac Fest scheduled for Saturday, June 10, 2017 at Curbside--another sold out Geaux Rouge event that will also benefit AltBR. AltBR is a movement to bring the best and brightest minds to Baton Rouge together to effect positive change. There will be fifteen vendors providing guests their vision of mac and cheese while competing for two different awards, The People's Choice and The Taste Award. The guests will experience the creativity of the competitors also in their booths. These spaces will provide a microcosm of the businesses and restaurants, a glimpse into who they are. Mac Fest will have live music and lots of opportunities for everyone to share time together as a community. The event is currently sold out, but those interested without tickets should follow the event on Geaux Rouge's Facebook page for information about any potential ticket releases. 

The competitors will be Barbosa BBQ, Noble Wave, The Overpass Merchant, Sammy's Grill, Govt Taco, BrickYard, Goyaya Crepes, Chef Celeste, Driftwood Cask and Barrel, Cupcake Allie, Southern Wild Foods by Jordan Ramirez, Elisabeth McKinley, LaDivina Italian Cafe, and Whole Foods Market. 

Of course, none of this event would be possible without the assistance of Mac Fest’s sponsors, Curbside, Three Sixty Eight, Rebel Graphix, Cypress Title, Calandro's Supermarket, Blair Thompson Photography, Eagle 98.1 and Guaranty Media, Emprint, and Visit Baton Rouge. 

What's on the horizon for Geaux Rouge? More festivals? More food events? Charity work? Geaux Rouge is continuing to look for ways to bring communities and businesses together to create experiences and showcase not just what the city of Baton Rouge is, but what it can be. Yes, there will be more. Much, much more.

Stay in touch with Geaux Rouge’s efforts by following them on social media and their website.