Food Prize 2024 | Celebrating Rising Chefs in the Ark-La-Tex

Session #2 will take place between July 26 and August 12, 2024.

The location for Golden Fork dinners will be revealed to passholders via email before each event.

Things are heating up, so come and get it!

How You Can Select the Next Great Chef:

Society of the Golden Fork is a dinner series — Spring Session and Summer Session — consisting of five (5) chefs each.
Purchase a pass to one of the two Sessions. Your pass includes admission to all of the dinner events in the corresponding Session. Passes are non-transferable for individual dinners.
Society Members attend the dinners and score each of the chefs.
Based on the scores of Society members, two chefs each from the Spring and Summer Sessions will advance to the Food Prize Finals.
Each of the five Finalist Chefs each will be paired with a National Celebrity Chef. The chef teams will compete at Come and Get It! during Prize Fest on Friday, October 18, 2024. A panel of judges will chose the Grand Prize Winner.

Comedy Prize is more than good looks and humor.

Making people laugh is hard, making comedy a career is harder. What makes the Comedy Prize competition worth your time?

1) We pay every Comedian Finalist to perform, give you Prize Fest VIP Lounge passes with free food and drink for the weekend, plus a hotel room for two nights. At Prize Fest, you are star talent and we treat you as such.

2) We bring in real, working comedy professionals who are looking for talent and we put you in the same room with them to connect and network — they don’t just see you from the stage.

FOOD PRIZE IS PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

Society of the Golden Fork: Summer Session #2

Chef Chris Hayes

Smoking Oyster Company

Friday, July 26

A Louisiana native, Chris was born in Shreveport and fell in love with cooking by watching his elders. Chris began his career at the age of 15, working as a dishwasher at a local pizza restaurant. After graduating from high school, Chris attended Grambling State University and earned a degree in Business and then earned his Culinary Arts degree from the Culinary Arts program at Louisiana Technical Community College.

In 2013, Chris took first place in the Oyster Jubilee. The hit Food Network television show, “Cooks vs. Cons” extended him an offer to appear on the show and. Chris accepted the invitation, and ultimately won the competition. In fall of 2017, Chris launched the Smoking Oyster Cateringany, and his new cookbook,
“Welcome to Good Food” is slated for release in January of 2018.

Chef Jessica Lewis

Noble Savage Shreveport

Sunday, August 4

Chef Jessica Lewis is a Bossier City native who started cooking at a young age with her Memaw, teaching her everything she knows — from up scale food to home made fill-your-belly plates! After graduating from Parkway High School, Lewis started at main stream restaurants and worked her way up, including a stint at Jimmy’s Seafood & Steak at Margaritaville Casino in Bossier City and mentoring with the late Chef Danny Beavers. In 2023, Lewis became the head chef for Noble Savage where she works to create new and exciting dishes for the long-standing institution.

Chef Melvin Nelson

Melvin Nelson Chef Services

Wednesday, August 7

Food and Chef Melvin have been in a love affair for his entire life; this fueled his passion to become a Chef. As a Shreveport native and Culinary Arts graduate of The Art Institute of Austin, Nelson have both the natural and academic know-how to create great food.

With 13 years in the food industry, he bring all of that experience into every aspect of his work. From food trucks to hospitals to fine dining and non-profits, Melvin has gathered a wealth of knowledge and strives to build on that experience.

Nelson is creative in multiple disciplines. Be it under his moniker “idioM” in the literary realm, in a choir singing tenor, or in a kitchen wafting spices, he thrive off of the beauty of art and creativity.

Chef Allison Ward

Fat Calf Brasserie

Saturday, August 10

Chef Allison’s love for cooking began with traditional Italian Sunday dinners at her Bisnonna Nelly’s home, where she learned to use fresh ingredients. After graduating from the culinary program at Bossier Parish Community College (BPCC), she joined Chef John Salmon at the Hilton River Rock Grill and later helped open Abby Singer’s Bistro. Seeking new experiences, she moved to Portland, Oregon, to study Hawaiian cuisine under Chef Gerrick Adachi at Aiea Grill.

She returned to Shreveport in 2009 and worked at Wine Country Bistro with Chefs Michael Brady and Anthony Felan. She also earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from LSUS. As Chef de Cuisine at Frank’s Pizza Napoletana, she gained significant experience and a strong social media following. In 2021, Allison reunited with Chef Anthony Felan at Fat Calf Brasserie.

Chef Sione Maumalanga

Ono’s Hawaiian

Monday, August 12

Sione Maumalanga, a passionate Chef from the vibrant shores of Honolulu, Hawaii. With over 23 years in the food industry, Sione’s cooking is a flavorful fusion, reflecting the diverse cultures of his island home. Now making waves in Shreveport, Louisiana, He’s a proud owner of Ono’s Hawaiian, where every dish will be a delicious celebration of Hawaii’s unique tastes and traditions. Experience the Aloha spirit with every bite.

Society of the Golden Fork: Summer Session #1

Session #1 will take place between June 10 and July 21, 2024.

The location for Golden Fork dinners will be revealed to passholders via email before each event.

Chef Stu Dyson

Pitmaster, Magnolia Pit BBQ

Monday, June 10

Stuart Dyson is shreveport born and raised. A graduate of BPCC culinary arts program and veteran of the shreveport restaurant scene. Stuart has worked all over town including Restaurante Giuseppe, Anvil Bar and Grill, Chianti, and Franks Louisiana Kitchen just to name a few. Well versed in fine dining Ittalian food Stuart also has a passion for the Louisiana flavor and smoked meats. Currently pitmaster at The Magnolia Pit BBQ, Stuart is working hard to give Louisiana a true BBQ
identity.

Chef Raul Rodriguez

Kitchen Manager, Superior’s Steakhouse

Monday, June 17

Raul Rodriguez has resided in Shreveport-Bossier for over 20 years with his wife Martha and their four children. His culinary journey began 23 years ago at Superior Grill as a dishwasher with greater ambitions. Raul seized the opportunity to work on the grill line, quickly mastering the skills and subsequently aiding in the launch of Superior’s Steakhouse’s new venue where Raul swiftly ascended to the grill station’s helm and then the role of Kitchen Manager.

By 2020, he embarked on a fresh venture with Hectar Muñoz at Pepito, exploring diverse cuisines—authentic Mexican, Japanese, South American, French, Italian, and Louisiana. In 2024, Raul made his return to Superior’s Steakhouse, eager to demonstrate his refined skills and mentor the team.

Chef Oscar Davis

Frank’s Pizza Napoletana

Sunday, June 30

Homegrown from here in Shreveport, Chef Oscar has always had a love for the kitchen from licking icing from cake bowls to purposely getting into trouble just to be on cafeteria duty. After graduating from Louisiana Technical College Northwest campus, Chef O relocated to Detroit in 2005 where he began to work at The Whitney Mansion. After taking a year to study pastries alongside Chef Nicholas Orlandino, Oscar then moved on to MGM Grand Detroit working alongside Chef Wolfgang Puck.

In 2016, he became partner in his own restaurant ventures Motor City Chop House and Suit and Tie Food Group. The pandemic brought him back home and assumed leadership of the kitchen at Frank’s Pizza Napoletana.

Chef Cindy Johnson

Executive Chef, Southern Faire Catering

Friday, July 12

Chef Cindy Gleason Johnson is an accomplished culinary professional from Shreveport, Louisiana. She is the owner and executive chef of Southern Faire, a catering establishment known for its authentic Southern cuisine and innovative creations.

With a passion for cooking deeply rooted in her Louisiana heritage, her love for food and cooking developed at a young age. She was inspired by her family’s gatherings and the rich food culture of North Louisiana. Chef Cindy is largely self-taught, but got an early start learning from her accomplished Southern Grandmothers and Mother, who was a Home Economics teacher at Byrd High School. Through her travels, she has also attended short courses at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris.

Chef Hardette Harris

Executive Chef, Us Up North

Sunday, July 21

Chef Harris is originally from Minden, Louisiana and was named by Louisiana Life Magazine as a “2017 Louisianian of the Year” and Country Roads Magazine’s 2017 Best Small Town Chefs. Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourism Bureau 2018 “Outstanding Attraction Professional of the Year”, 2019 Convention, Tourism Sales Award Department award and 2024 Nominee for Outstanding Culinary/Chef Professional. She had a recurring column called “Up North” in the beautiful Louisiana Kitchen & Culture magazine and has been a recipe contributor to LOLA Magazine.

Chef Hardette has been featured in countless magazines including a six page spread in Louisiana Cookin Magazine and was a 2024 semifinalist for a prestigious James Beard Award.

Get on the Food Prize Waiting List

Get notified when Summer Session passes go on sale! If additional spots open for passes or to individual dinners, you will also be notified.