NEW ORLEANS – The Beignet Fest, which will take place on Saturday, October 8, 2016, at Lafayette Square, from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., announced its lineup of food vendors and the beignet creations each will serve at the festival.
“We will have 15 different restaurants serving more than 20 dishes all based on the iconic beignet,” said festival founder and event producer Sherwood Collins. “We can’t wait for everyone to come out to the fest on October 8, which will be free and open to the public.”
Amy and Sherwood Collins created Beignet Fest to raise awareness and funds for autism programs in New Orleans. Food and beverage sales will benefit the newly-established Tres Doux Foundation (which means “very sweet,” in French). The Foundation’s mission is to celebrate, embrace and enhance the lives of children with developmental delays and disabilities by presenting them as whole beings, and to support organizations that do the same. Proceeds from Beignet Fest will be used to make grants from the Tres Doux Foundation to nonprofits that serve autistic children.
Today, Centers for Disease Control estimates that one in 68 children is diagnosed with autism, making it more common than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes and pediatric AIDS combined.
“We are thrilled to celebrate the beignet, while raising awareness and funds for a cause that is very close to our hearts,” said Sherwood. “The food vendors really went above and beyond with their beignet creations for this event!”
Local restaurants serving up savory and sweet beignets include:
• Café Beignet (Traditional Beignets)
• Café Maspero (Beignet Fries)
• Café Reconcile (Fried Chicken and Beignets with Hot Maple Syrup)
• Fulton Alley (Shrimp & Corn Maque Choux Beignets)
• Girls Gone Vegan Bakery (Baked Gluten Free Donuts – Maple, Chocolate, Cinnamon Sugar, Birthday Cake, Blueberry and Banana Nut)
• Howlin’ Wolf Den (Bacon Cheddar Beignets with Chipotle Crema)
• Legacy Kitchen (Crawfish Beignets)
• Loretta’s Pralines (Praline Beignets, Crabmeat Beignets, a Burger Beignet)
• Luca Eats (Oreo Beignets)
• New Orleans Coffee and Beignet Company (Traditional Beignets, Chocolate Beignet Bites, Traditional Beignet Bites)
• New Orleans Ice Cream Company (Café au Lait & Beignets Ice Cream Cone, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Cone)
• Royal House (Fish Beignets, Oyster Beignets)
• The Ruby Slipper (Cochon Beignets, Bananas Foster Beignets, Candied Bacon Beignets with Praline Sauce)
• Walk-On’s Bistreaux & Bar (Boudin Stuffed Beignets)
• Ye Olde College Inn (Fried Bread Pudding PoBoy “Beignet”)
Celebrity judges will give awards for best sweet, best savory and most original beignets, and a social media-based contest will be held to select a “crowd favorite” beignet.
In addition to the food, Beignet Fest will include well-known local and regional performers, such as Big Sam’s Funky Nation, John Papa Gros Band, Los Po-Boy-Citos, The Confetti Park Players Chorus and Alexandra Scott.
Beignet Fest is made possible by sponsors including Ochsner Hospital For Children, French Market Coffee, Southern Eagle Sales and Service featuring Urban South Brewery, Gambel Communications, New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation, City of New Orleans Office of Cultural Economy, New Orleans Coffee & Beignet Co and Café Du Monde.
