Du Jour: TJ McConnaughey, Louisiana Culinary Institute

May was a big month for Louisiana Culinary Institute student TJ McConnaughey. The Travers City, Mich., native won the right to cook at the 2010 Cannes International Film Festival’s American Pavilion. “It was the trip of lifetime,” said McConnaughey, 25. In the weeks leading up to the festival, McConnaughey and several other LCI students participated in the school’s annual Race to Cannes face-off, in which they produced original recipes using assigned ingredients. McConnaughey won top honors, sealing the deal in the final “vegetarian” round with a duet of homemade ravioli. One he filled with mock Spanish chorizo of chilies, mushrooms, spices and tofu passed through a meat grinder to give it the right texture. The other was stuffed with silken tofu seasoned to taste like ricotta cheese. Two sauces accompanied the dish, simple butter tomato and roasted eggplant puree.  Click here to find out more about this student’s French experience.To read previous Du Jour features on local chefs and other culinary experts, click here.