Chef Trahan’s winning creation was cracklin’ crusted red snapper with pickled crawfish tails, buttermilk chili consomme, spring vegetables, burnt leek oil and bowfin caviar. As King, Ryan will represent the Louisiana Seafood Promotion Board, Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser and Louisiana Travel in events across the country.

It’s not often that a King presents cooking demos at Gator By the Bay.  But this year, Ryan Trahan, Executive Chef at Blue Dog Cafe in Lafayette, LA, will be tantalyzing our palates and showing us some of his culinary magic at the Taste of Louisiana Pavilion on both Saturday, May 11, and Sunday May 12. And the “king” part? After being crowned “King of Louisiana Seafood” in June of 2018, beating out 11 other Louisiana chefs to win the Louisiana Seafood Cook-off, Trahan went on to represent Louisiana in the 15th Annual Great American Seafood Cook-Off  held in New Orleans in August 2018, where he triumphed and took the crown of “King of American Seafood”.  Twelve chefs from across the country competed in the live cooking contest, presented by Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser and the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, which is a sponsor of the Taste of Louisiana Pavilion at Gator By the Bay.

Ryan Trahan has been cooking for about 9 years and learned his trade by actually working in kitchens. Coming from a family with a 60 year history in the restaurant business in Louisiana, Chef Trahan found his passion in the kitchen early on, and set about to learn everything he could, using his creativity to elevate classic Louisiana favorites and showcase fresh, regionally inspired, sustainably sourced local cuisine focused on southern hospitality and Cajun culture.  He took the helm of The Blue Dog’s kitchen in 2018, and prior to that he had gained renown at Dark Roux, an acclaimed sustainable Southern concept in Lafayette, LA. In 2017 he was named a Chef to Watch by Louisiana Cookin’ magazine.

Trahan is looking forward to his first visit to San Diego and Gator By the Bay. “I love California,” he notes, “but I’ve never been south of L.A. I’ve heard that Gator By the Bay is a really fun festival and I’m excited that it will be my introduction to San Diego.  I’m proud to help represent the Louisiana Seafood Promotion Board, Louisiana Tourism, and Blue Dog Cafe by bringing my modern approach to Cajun cuisine to the festival.”