For the fourth year in a row, Whole Foods Market proudly sponsored the Great American Seafood Cook-Off (GASCO) and featured a mini-store that displayed our exclusive 365 Everyday Value brand along with a beautiful spread of produce that included local peppers, okra, eggplant and peaches.

Held in New Orleans and opening with Casa Samba’s Brazilian drums, dancers and stilt-walkers, GASCO featured chefs handpicked by their governor or those who won statewide competitions. Ewell Smith, the Louisiana Seafood Promotions & Marketing Board executive director, introduced the judges from around the country who are recognized as the top echelon of culinary arts. Co-emcees Chef John Folse, who is often recognized as Louisiana’s Culinary Ambassador to the world, and Jeff Corwin, host of Animal Planet’s Jeff Corwin Experience and Food Network’s Extreme Cuisine, kicked off the competition which stresses sustainable fisheries and local products.

Representing Alabama, Alaska, Idaho, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, and West Virginia, the GASCO Chefs shipped and cooked indigenous seafood from their respective states with a sustainable focus. During the competition, the chefs shopped the Whole Foods Market mini-store for final ingredients.

Our table was incredibly busy with special samples, information on Whole Foods Market’s unprecedented aquaculture standards, Whole Trade products, Whole Planet Foundation, Health Starts Here program, and Whole Deal booklets full of coupons and recipes. The lagniappe Mini-Plinko game thrilled attendees and offered an array of prizes with a limited-edition recyclable shopping tote as the grand booty!

As GASCO concluded, the winners were announced in rather dramatic fashion, with red, white and blue confetti falling from the ceiling at the crowning moment! For the first time, there was a tie for third place between Maine’s Chef Mackenzie Arrington of Morrison’s Maine Course in Portland, ME and New Jersey’s Chef Peter Fischbach of Gourmet Dining Services at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, NJ. Chef Arrington served Pan Seared North Atlantic Red Crab Cakes with Citrus Aioli, Roasted Red Pepper Coulis and Micro Okra and Tangerine Greens, which matched Chef Fischbach’s Jersey Coast – a trio of Jersey-caught lobster, black bass, and sea scallop.

Capturing second was Chef Wesley True of True Restaurant in Mobile, AL, presenting Gulf Shrimp Two Ways with Jumbo Lump Crab, Salad of Local Yellow Watermelon, Martini Olive, Cucumbers, and Heirloom Tomatoes with Macadamia Coconut Puree.

Drum role, please….The 2010 King of American Seafood is Chef Dean Max of 3030 Ocean at Marriott Harbor Beach and Spa Resort in Fort Lauderdale, FL! His prize-winning creation had a tantalizing twist to the BLT and was a Sebastian Inlet Clams BBLT (Bacon, Basil, Lettuce and Tomato). Congratulations and Hail Chef Max!

Whole Foods Market is proud to sponsor GASCO as this event celebrates the diversity of food and cooking styles across the country while recognizing the importance of sustainability and incorporating local ingredients. This year’s event was even more important in light of the Gulf Oil Spill. We decided to donate the mini-store produce and products to Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana and support families in the parishes directly affected by the oil spill.

Keep your eyes out for GASCO as it aired on more than 50 percent of the public television stations nationwide last year! More information, chef profiles, and recipes are available at www.greatamericanseafoodcookoff.com.

In her eight years with Whole Foods Market, Kristina has focused on community relations — spending the last four years immersed in the New Orleans and Baton Rouge areas and loving the region’s culture and incredible people who make these cities unique.

For the third year in a row, Whole Foods Market proudly sponsored the Great American Seafood Cook-Off (GASCO) and we had a fantastic time doing it. We set up an information table on our unprecedented aquaculture standards, Whole Trade products, and Whole Deal booklets full of coupons and recipes along with a mini-store where the chefs shopped for extra ingredients. Of course, we provided special treats and samples for the attendees, chefs, judges and emcees.

Chef John Folse, who is often recognized as Louisiana’s Culinary Ambassador to the world, co-emceed GASCO with Sig Hansen from “Deadliest Catch”! Many fans were thrilled to meet him in person and hear his comments throughout the competition, which you may be able to watch on your public television station in the near future. The whole event stresses sustainable fisheries and local products – both are very near and dear to our hearts.

Held in New Orleans, this national event kicked off with Casa Samba’s Brazilian drums, dancers and stilt-walkers. The competing chefs were handpicked by their governor or selected by winning statewide competitions. The judges, recognized as the top echelon of culinary arts, came from all over the country as well.

Representing Alabama, Alaska, California, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas and West Virginia, the GASCO Chefs shipped and cooked indigenous seafood from their respective states with a keen eye on sustainable offerings. Chefs John Varanese from Kentucky and Ed Fischer from West Virginia tapped into their creative cauldrons and cooked with seafood that many folks are not aware of or know how to cook. For instance, Varanese’s culinary masterpiece was Kentucky Paddlefish Stuffed with Kentucky Shrimp, while Fischer’s Appalachian Golden Trout combined Italian-seasoned Panko bread crumbs, butter, young ramps, black morel mushrooms, buttermilk, Vidalia onions, peppers and wine.

At the end of the competition, the winners were announced in rather dramatic fashion! Alaska’s Patrick Hoogerhyde of WildFin Seagrill placed third with Wild Alaskan King Salmon. His ingredients incorporated Alaskan alder smoked sea salt dusted Susitna Valley hash, fresh greens, smoked Alaskan porter, alder moostard vinaigrette, foraged low bush cranberry infused birch syrup molasses and more. Delicious!

Placing second, New Jersey’s Peter Fischbach from the Gourmet Dining Services at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark delivered Pan Seared Viking Village Day-Boat Sea Scallops. The scallops were paired with creamy chili-herb grits, warm “pickled” root vegetables, smokey apple wood bacon, micro greens and corn volute. Incroyable!

More surprising was Commander’s Palace Executive Chef Tory McPhail’s use of sheepshead prepared with Louisiana corn, lump crabmeat and Louisiana shrimp accented with organic herbs grown on the restaurant’s rooftop. The winning Creole Seafood Mixed Grill creation stunned the judges and audience as sheepshead is rarely found on a restaurant menu. McPhail emphasized the economical value and abundant supply of sheepshead. Hail Tory McPhail, the 2009 King of American Seafood!

We are so glad to be able to sponsor GASCO as it truly celebrates the diversity of food and cooking styles across the country while recognizing the importance of sustainable fishing and practices and incorporating local ingredients. Plus, we love food and GASCO is quite the culinary celebration!

Keep your eyes out for GASCO as it aired on more than 50 percent of the public television stations nationwide last year! More information, chef profiles and recipes are available at www.greatamericanseafoodcookoff.com.