Du Jour: Aline Landry, winner of 9 Chefs

Last month, WAFB aired its 9 Chefs cooking competition, in which die-hard home chefs from Baton Rouge vied for top honors with personal recipes cooked on site. Winner Aline Landry says landing first place was a thrill, the culmination of years of cooking dating back to her childhood. “I love good food, and I think it goes back to growing up on a rice and cattle farm. My mother put me in charge of the kitchen, and I cooked from a very early age.” Landry joined 4-H in middle and high school, won a parish competition for her homemade bread and was poised to come to Baton Rouge for a statewide meet. Illness thwarted her attendance, but after decades of cooking and enjoying food, she entered another ring: WAFB’s inaugural edition of its special, 9 Chefs. Landry’s bruschetta and wonton ravioli edged out other finalists’ fare in two rounds to earn her a prize package that includes a five-burner Wolf gas range, a knife set and cooking classes at the Louisiana Culinary Institute (LCI), pots and pans, and a $500 spree at Central’s Oak Point Fresh Market. Click here to find out how this win gave her a new perspective on her kitchen escapades. (Image courtesy WAFB)To read previous Du Jour features on local chefs and other culinary experts, click here.