Toups among James Beard finalists

The James Beard Foundation recently announced its annual culinary awards.
The awards, widely considered as the Oscars of food, cover nearly 60 categories, including Restaurant and Chef, Restaurant Design, and Media and highlight some of the best chefs and restaurants in the US.
Patrick O’Donnell at the Inn at Little Washington has already been announced as the winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award, but the other categories remain up for grabs.
Particular local interest falls in the “Best Chefs in America” category, chefs who set high culinary standards and also demonstrate integrity and admirable leadership skills in their respective regions. A nominee may be from any kind of dining establishment but must have been working as a chef for at least five years, with the three most recent years spent in the region.
In the category of Best Chef: South Region, New Orleans received three nominations, one of them being Rayne native Isaac Toups of Toups’ Meatery, who was a finalist for this award in 2016 and a semifinlaist in 2014 and 2015.
Toups has a non-traditional style of cooking, with a Cajun accent not just in his speaking. His cooking features his background as a deep-rooted Louisiana chef, highlighting a sophisticated approach to his Cajun flair.
The Rayne native has worked in the kitchens of Emeril Lagasse, was the chef de cuisine at the Cuvee, and opened Toups’ Meatery in 2012 near City Park in New Orleans with his wife, Amanda.
The popular Nola stop offers an original take on his native Cajun cuisine with a focus on meat, everything from bone marrow to homemade sausage.
Born and raised in Rayne, Toups credits his family’s food and cooking experiences for his love of preparing food, in addition to his grandmothers for the traditional base of his menu favorites.
The book and media winners will be announced on April 26, while the culinary award winners will be revealed at a gala in Chicago on May 6.
Toups was also named honoree of the 2018 Rayne Frog Festival. While there, he led the judging for the festival’s cooking contest and also assisted with judging of the Frog Leg Eating Contest.