Du Jour: Monika Olivier

The upcoming 12th Annual International Cooking Competition, held this year on June 5, 2011, is one the signature projects of the plucky Baton Rouge Center for World Affairs, an organization founded in 1989 by Monika Olivier. In the late eighties, the German-born Olivier was running her family-owned acrylics manufacturing business in Baton Rouge when she asked then-Mayor Tom Ed McHugh to do something to acknowledge the city’s sizeable population of internationals. “Baton Rouge had a large international and multi-cultural community that most people were not aware of,” she recalls. The International Relations Commission was born, later morphing into the Center for World Affairs. The intention of both was to connect international expats and local residents to each other, and connect Baton Rouge to the outside world, a concept which seems like a no-brainer in today’s global society, but wasn’t always an easy sell.

Olivier, and champions like McHugh staffer Jan Bernard, created the International Heritage Celebration held downtown, flag raising ceremonies for international visitors and new Sister Cities programs. The International Cooking Competition seemed a logical addition to the Center’s line-up, says Olivier, since food is the clearest gateway to culture. Olivier says the dishes that are brought to the competition are often meaningful, personal recipes handed down from grandmothers. Around 4 dozens dishes are usually presented. “It’s an opportunity to sample foods that you simply can’t find in restaurants,” she says. “These are not professional chefs, they’re good cooks cooking from the heart.” Please see brcwa.com for more information.