Sweet Grown Alabama will be hosting the 11th Annual Alabama Seafood Cookoff today. The cookoff will be held at The Wharf in Orange Beach at 6:00pm. The cookoff features four teams of chef from across the state.
The cook-off highlights Sweet Grown Alabama’s mission, connecting locally grown products with Alabama seafood. Each team of chefs will create a dish featuring Alabama Gulf seafood and a locally grown ingredient.
The teams will be competing for a $2,500 cash prize and the ability to represent Alabama at the Great American Seafood Cook-Off in New Orleans. The Chefs include C.R. “Robbie” Nicolaisen, Chef at The Hound in Auburn, Chris Ippolito, Chef at Cayo Coco Rum Bar & Restaurant in Birmingham, Emilio Urban, Chef at Coastal Restaurant in Orange Beach and Jason McGarry, Chef at Central in Montgomery.
This year’s judges include 2025 Alabama Seafood Cook-Off Winner Ben Rosen, food blogger Kathleen Phillips, and private chef Jonathan Harrison. Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture Rick Pate will also be participating in the event and Sarah Jane Levine, Gulf Coast Watermelon Queen, will be handing out samples of Watermelon.
Join them this evening at the The Wharf 4550 Main Street in Orange Beach, AL with the cook-off located in the green space near Tee Off Restaurant.
Audio Reporting by Dale Sandlin for Southeast AgNet.