CHEF JEFFREY HANSELL AND KEITH AND NEALY FRENTZ BRING A TASTE OF LOUISIANA TO ATLANTA
Local Chefs Represented St. Tammany Parish during Culinary Trails Event with the St. Tammany Parish Tourist Commission
November 1, 2019 – Chef Jeffrey Hansell from Oxlot 9 and Chefs Keith and Nealy Frentz of LOLA, both located in Covington, were three of eleven premiere Louisiana chefs who traveled to Atlanta to feature the state’s world-class cuisine in several of the area’s top restaurants October 22-23. The St. Tammany Parish Tourist and Convention Commission, the Louisiana Travel Association and the Louisiana Office of Tourism partnered with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution to present the “Louisiana in Atlanta Restaurant Night.”
This extraordinary event combined the culinary expertise of chefs in Louisiana and Atlanta to spice things up in the kitchen and offer Atlantans a taste of the Bayou State’s vibrant culture and flavorful cuisine. Local craft brewery Abita Brewing Company was also a sponsor.
Prior to the restaurant night, Christina Cooper and Anna Strider from the St. Tammany Parish Tourist Commission attended the Restaurant Night Media Preview reception, where St. Tammany chefs, along with top chefs across the state, prepared world-class cuisine for key influencers, encouraging media to write about the Louisiana culinary experience.
“Our goal is to connect key influencers – writers, editors and producers – to our diverse heritage through our cuisine,” said Jill Kidder, LTA President and CEO. “In turn, the media’s influential stories will showcase our state as a culinary destination to the world.”
This effort is part of the Louisiana Culinary Trails campaign, a long-standing joint venture of LTA, the Office of Tourism and 18 convention and visitors bureaus from throughout the state, including the St. Tammany Parish Tourist Commission.
“In Louisiana, good food is just part of what connects us to our diverse heritage, and we want to bring this experience to the people of Atlanta,” said Doug Bourgeois, Assistant Secretary for the Louisiana Office of Tourism. “For one night only, we are encouraging food enthusiasts from the Atlanta area to come experience Louisiana’s chefs, seafood and culinary traditions in some of their favorite restaurants. But most importantly, we want them to come to Louisiana one day and get a firsthand taste of our state.”
CHEFS KEITH AND NEALY FRENTZ | LOLA, COVINGTON, LA
Keith and Nealy Frentz met when both were sous chefs at New Orleans’ renowned Brennan’s Restaurant. When hurricane Katrina forced extended closure of Brennan’s, the couple moved across the lake to Keith’s hometown of Covington and opened their own restaurant, Lola. Today, Lola is known as one of the best in Covington, recognized for its vibrant culinary scene. The couple won the title of King and Queen of Louisiana Seafood in 2012, were named Chefs to Watch by Louisiana Cookin’ magazine and were showcased in Louisiana Kitchen & Culture magazine, among other various media. Chefs Keith and Nealy Frentz partnered with Elodie Westover at Full Commission.
CHEF JEFFREY HANSELL | OXLOT 9, COVINGTON, LA
Chef Jeffrey Hansell brings upscale, gulf-inspired, southern fare to quaint downtown Covington at Oxlot 9, located inside the restored Southern Hotel. Best known for his beautifully plated, impeccably prepared and locally sourced seafood, game and meats, Hansell has been showcased on USAToday.com, ranked as one of Louisiana Cookin’ Magazine’s Chefs to Watch in 2015, awarded Best Small Town Chef by Country Roads Magazine, competed on Food Network’s “Beat Bobby Flay” and was recognized with his wife Amy as the 2018 ‘Restaurateurs of the Year’ by Louisiana Travel Association. Chef Jeffrey Hansell partnered with chef Linton Hopkins at Holeman & Finch Public House.
ST. TAMMANY PARISH TOURIST COMMISSION
The St. Tammany Parish Tourist Commission was founded in 1976 to market and promote St. Tammany Parish as a destination for visitors and thereby increase the economic impact of tourism. In 2018, St. Tammany Parish had the 4th largest tourist economy in the state and visitors spent $804+ million in St. Tammany, supporting our local economy and contributing to the employment of more than 11,490 residents. Visit our website at [www.LouisianaNorthshore.com]www.LouisianaNorthshore.com
To truly explore and experience Louisiana’s unique, flavorful cuisine, you can check out the Louisiana Culinary Trails www.louisianatravel.com/culinary or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LouisianaCulinaryTrails. The Louisiana Culinary Trails is an online, self-guided road trip around Louisiana’s eight distinct regions with suggestions to take your next trip to Louisiana to new culinary heights.
Contact Christina Cooper, VP of Communications and Public Relations for the St. Tammany Parish Tourist Commission for photos or more information.
Christina@LouisianaNorthshore.com
(985) 892-0520