Roundup: Texas couple takes etouffee crown out of state

Taste beats heat: A Texas couple took away the top prize at this year’s Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival étouffée cook-off on Sunday, though the voting was almost too close to call. John and Jennifer Self of Katy, Texas, tied with a dish by Jimmy Blanchard and Whitney Gary in the first round of judging, forcing the judges to return for a tiebreaker taste-off—which the Selfs won in their fifth year of competing in the cook-off. John Self says the essence of a great étouffée is the seasoning. He says it’s all about the flavor, not the heat.