Winners from the Calcasieu-Cameron Rice Growers Association rice cooking contest, held Sept. 25, were, left to right, Asia Jeanisse of Lake Charles, winner of the Heart Healthy category; Kayln Duplechin of Iowa, first place; Annabeth Robideaux of Lake Charles, second place; Hailee Swire of Sulphur, third place. Photo by Bruce Schultz (Click on photo for downloadable image.)

News Release Distributed 09/30/13

LAKE CHARLES, La. – Thirteen high school students participated in the Calcasieu-Cameron Rice Growers Association rice cooking contest on Sept. 25 as part of National Rice Month, which is sponsored by the USA Rice Federation.

The contest has been sponsored by the Port of Lake Charles every year since the event started 16 years ago.

Rice farmer Adam Habetz, president of the Cal-Cam Rice Growers Association, said the event gets young people involved in National Rice Month. “We are trying to get the high schools involved and to promote rice in the schools.”

The students who participated this year were from Cameron, Beauregard and Calcasieu parishes.

Kayln Duplechin, of J.I. Watson Middle School in Iowa, had the winning dish, boudin and rice casserole, from a recipe used by her grandmother. “I always liked boudin,” she said.

Asia Jeanisse, of Ray D. Molo Middle Magnet School in Lake Charles, won the Heart Healthy category with shrimp fried rice. “I always liked shrimp fried rice, so I decided to make it.”

The second-place award went to Annabeth Robideaux, of Barbe High School in Lake Charles, who cooked crawfish etouffee. “I decided to do etouffee because it’s more Cajun,” she said.

Third place went to Hailee Swire, of Sulphur High School, for her crab-shrimp-andouille jambalaya. “We had shrimp and crabs in the icebox, and I wanted to do a jambalaya.”

Bruce Schultz