"JohnBesh" news and stories

Last week we caught up with New Orleans chef John Besh at Food Network's South Beach Food & Wine Festival. Since he's juggling so many projects -- a new cookbook coming out in the fall, a TV show starting in April, managing his six restaurants and focusing on his foundation -- we didn't know where to begin! So we reached out to our dedicated Slashfood Twitter followers and asked: "What would you like to know from John Besh?" The response was great, and we've got the answers to seven of his favorite questions.

@DrinkerX asked: What was his favorite dish to eat growing up as a kid?
JB: Speckled trout sautéed with brown butter -- I can still smell it. You could hear when mom squeezed the lemon over the fish and it sizzled. With toasted almonds -- [shakes his head] -- the whole thing is so good.

@kbGiltCity asked: I'm having my bachelor party in NoLA during Jazzfest. What's the BEST food at Jazzfest? I was told soft shell crab po boy?
JB: My favorite po' boys? That's a toss up between a fried oyster fully dressed or a fried soft shell crab fully dressed, both from Parkway Tavern.

@THeChefatSolago asked: Homegrown hot sauce or store-bought...and if store-bought what brand?
JB: Definitely Tabasco. It's my go-to hot sauce.

To celebrate the impending graduation of its 40,000th student, the Culinary Institute of America will hold a one-day trivia contest on Twitter on Nov. 4.

Throughout the day, the CIA will ask trivia questions on its @CIACulinary Twitter about everything from its textbook and history to basic cooking techniques. The CIA's Twitter followers who correctly answer the questions will be eligible to win autographed books by CIA graduates such as John Besh and high-end cookware.

Click here to follow the CIA on Twitter.

Not sure which new cookbooks are worth investing in this year? Take the guesswork out of your decision and follow along with food52's Tournament of Cookbooks. The competition -- run by this new home-cooking Web site's founders (former New York Times food editor Amanda Hesser and food writer Merrill Stubbs) -- pits 16 of this year's best books against each other, to be cooked from and judged by 17 venerable chefs and food writers.

Tournament rounds will play out over the course of 4 weeks, with a decision announced every weekday beginning Wednesday. For the first challenge in the bracket, "My New Orleans," by John Besh was bested by "Real Cajun," by Donald Link, as judged by Daniel Patteron. The winning book will take home the first Piglet trophy and be feted at the Astor Center in New York City on Nov. 9, 2009.

After the jump, see list of the cookbooks and judges in play. ...

Photo: Andrews McMeel

'My New Orleans - The Cookbook: 200 of My Favorite Recipes from My Hometown'
By John Besh
Photographs by Ditte Isager
Andrews McMeel -- 2009
Buy it on Amazon

Chef John Besh's magnum opus on the food of his hometown could easily be mistaken for a coffee table-style photography book edited by someone with one heck of a food fetish. That'd be only partially correct.

Besh celebrates and contextualizes New Orleans cuisine within a reverent, passionate travelogue and memoir based around the ingredients and food rituals of a full year in the Big Easy. In this 374-page volume, the chef, restaurateur (including August, Lüke, Besh Steak, Domenica, La Provence and the upcoming the American Sector at the National WWII Museum), "Next Iron Chef" contender, former Marine and father of four weaves an intimate, illustrated narrative of a life lived deliciously in one of the world's most important food cities.

Through touching vignettes from his childhood, emergence into chefhood and post-Katrina rebuilding efforts, as well as informative sidebars about key Creole and Cajun ingredients and paens to his favorite food haunts, Besh stokes and slakes a multitude of hungers for lovers of this city on the mend.

It's also one hell of a cookbook.

See what we tested and find out whether the book's worth buying after the jump.

While you're waiting for Michael Thomas Hastings' "Top Chef Masters" recap, snack on this mini interview with former contender John Besh. The New Orleans chef and author stopped by Slashfood HQ earlier this week to chat about his Top Chef Masters predictions, being judged by bloggers and why he won't be strapping an arm behind his back again anytime soon.

Pre-order My New Orleans: The Cookbook and visit ChefJohnBesh.com.