NEW ORLEANS – The sixth annual Crawfish Mambo was held Saturday, May 13, to celebrate Louisiana’s most famous crustacean, the crawfish, and the best in live, local music.
Hosted by the University of New Orleans International Alumni Association, Crawfish Mambo featured all-you-can-eat boiled crawfish prepared by more than 45 boil teams competing for a $1,000 prize and the “Best of Boil” title. A panel of celebrity judges decided this year’s winners.
This year, the winners of the “Best of Boil” competition were:
• 3rd Place: Rouga Rou Mudbugz
• 2nd Place: Our Pot Burleth Over
Judges said, “These crawfish were perfectly seasoned.”
• 1st Place: Dhose Bodacious Crawfish from DBC Bar & Grill
Judges said, “These were well-spiced and nicely seasoned” and “These are very good – I would serve these at my crawfish boil.”
Only one point separated first and second place this year.
The “Best Sides” Award went to the Jefferson Financial team.
Judges said, “Wow – these ribs as a side were great.”
Ten contestants from across the U.S. competed for the Peel N’ Eat Crawfish Competition title by eating as much crawfish as they can in 10 minutes. Contestants ate their way towards $1,000 in prize money and the coveted title of Peel N’ Eat Crawfish Eating Champion.
The winners were:
• 4th Place: Michael Adams from New Orleans
Ate 1.79 pounds of crawfish meat
• 3rd Place: Brian Hartman from Kenner
Ate 2 pounds of crawfish meat
• 2nd Place: Russell Callis (last year’s contest winner)
Ate 2.16 pounds of crawfish meat
•1st Place: Christina Handy from Metairie
Ate 2.51 pounds of crawfish meat
Two other annual awards also were given at this year’s Crawfish Mambo:
• Crowd Favorite: Geaux Creole representing the Law Offices of Andrew Schwing
Crowd favorite is decided by attendees placing tickets in buckets for those they feel have the best boil.
• Best Decorated Booth: The Good, the Bad and the Boil
Crawfish Mambo is an annual event supporting the expansion of professional development programs at the University of New Orleans, the region’s only public research university.