AIT Kaohsiung Presents "New Orleans Cajun and Jazz Flavors"
The Agricultural Trade Office (ATO) of the American Institute in Taiwan, in cooperation with the Southern United States Trade Association (SUSTA), is pleased to bring the "New Orleans Cajun and Jazz Flavors" to southern Taiwan to promote Cajun cuisine and jazz music.
The keystone of the promotion is a two-week visit to Taiwan by the celebrated Cajun chef Roy Lyons April 11-22. Chef Roy, a multi-award winning Cajun chef and owner of Louisiana's Frog City Cafe, will develop menus, oversee kitchens and recommend recipes that mesh well with the Taiwanese palate and local dining preferences. In tandem with Chef Roy's events in Taiwan, ATO is promoting many high-quality U.S. ingredients, such as U.S. beef, pork, poultry, rice, and potatoes, among many others.
Having spent a week in Taipei, Chef Roy will travel to Kaohsiung on Tuesday, April 17 to prepare for a comprehensive Chef Training Seminar at Kaohsiung Hospitality College on Thursday and Friday, April 19-20. Chef Roy will also participate in a Cajun-style dinner at The Bayou Restaurant, 226 Min Cheng 1st Rd, Kaohsiung (Tel: 07-310-7293), on Wednesday evening, April 18 from 19:00-21:00.
More than 25 restaurants in Taiwan are expected to participate in Chef Roy's training programs and will offer Cajun dishes through the end of May. These restaurants will participate in a lucky draw through Jason's Market Place, a co-sponsor of this event and purveyor of many of Chef Roy's favorite American ingredients, including pepper sauces, Cajun seasonings, pork, beef, poultry, and many other products. The final grand prize will be a United Airlines round-trip ticket to the United States. The drawing will take place on June 15, 2007.
Even after Chef Roy returns to Louisiana, Cajun cuisine and jazz-related activities will continue to the end of May. All are welcome to join the ATO, SUSTA and their many food industry partners to enjoy the Cajun flavors of New Orleans.
Cajun culture and food, centered on the southeastern state of Louisiana and its largest city, New Orleans, draws deeply from the rich traditions of early French immigrants, African Americans and Native Americans. It is a "fusion cuisine" with roots that go back over 300 years. Cajun cuisine is a recognized branch of the culinary arts; Louisiana French remains a living language; New Orleans and Louisiana remain steeped in French colonial traditions; and jazz, a musical form born in the lower Mississippi Delta largely out of African-American musical traditions, has become a worldwide phenomenon.
For more information on the proposed activities, please contact AIT Kahosiung branch at Tel: (07) 238-7744. AIT webpage on New Orleans Cajun and Jazz Flavors: http://www.ait.org.tw/en/agriculture/ato/200704-Cajun/PublicAnnouncement.aspx
New Orleans and the State of Louisiana, the birthplaces of Cajun food and Jazz music, were hit by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 and are now engaged in a major rebuilding effort. The U.S. Federal Government has enacted the Gulf Opportunity Zone ("GO Zone") Act, which offers a broad package of extremely attractive investment incentives to investors in the region. Detailed information about the GO Zone is available online at http://www.gozoneguide.com.