Chef John Folse, traveled to Fort Hood, Texas
On January 13 representatives of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, including board member, Chef John Folse, traveled to Fort Hood, Texas to host a luncheon for more than 130 members of the 225th Engineer Brigade Headquarters Company of the Louisiana National Guard, headquartered in Pineville, La. The 225th had orders to depart Fort Hood, Texas for Iraq and the seafood board and Chef John Folse wanted to give them a true Louisiana send off.
With the help of generous donations from seafood suppliers across the state, the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board secured 95 pounds of Louisiana shrimp, 70 pounds of Louisiana redfish, 40 pounds of Louisiana crabmeat, 25 pounds of Louisiana alligator meat, 24 pounds of Louisiana crawfish and 3 gallons of Louisiana oysters. Chef Folse used this bounty of fresh Louisiana seafood to prepare a feast that was medal worthy.
Harlon Pearce, chairman of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board said that he was thrilled when he found out that the seafood board would be able to coordinate this event “We take for granted that we have Louisiana seafood available to us all the time, but it will be awhile before these troops are able to experience the tastes and culture of home,” said Pearce.
The menu featured all the best Louisiana seafood cuisine, from crawfish étouffée to barbecued shrimp and oyster stew to baked fish Creole, and it would not have been complete without boiled crabs, boiled shrimp and boiled crawfish. "What a great honor to be selected to cook a true Cajun & Creole feast for those Louisianans who will be serving our country in Iraq,” said Folse. “Food has always been the center of all great events in Louisiana. What better way to send our troops off to protect our country than with a great taste of Louisiana seafood."
The 225th has orders to stay in Iraq for one year. While there, they will command more than 1,000 additional soldiers. This will be the first deployment for some, but many of these soldiers have been previously deployed to either Iraq or Afghanistan.
“It was truly an honor to have Chef John Folse prepare traditional Louisiana cuisine for the 225th Engineer Brigade’s deploying soldiers,” said Command Sgt. Major Joe Major, senior enlisted advisor for the brigade. “Food is an attachment back to Louisiana and home and the link to many great memories with friends and family.”
