NEW ORLEANS — The eighth annual Beignet Fest took place this past Saturday at the City Park Festival Grounds where attendees were able to taste 40 different types of beignets from more than 20 vendors and vote for their favorites in three categories – sweet, savory and traditional.
Marking their first year participating in Beignet Fest, Southerns was selected as the crowd favorite for the Best Sweet Beignet with their Crème Brûlée Beignet and Best Savory Beignet with their Spicy Chicken Beignet. Café Beignet was voted Best Traditional Beignet.
“At Beignet Fest, beignets take center stage as our incredible food vendors create outstanding twists on New Orleans’ most beloved treat,” said Sherwood Collins, co-founder and executive director of Beignet Fest and the Beignet Fest Foundation. “I am always blown away by the array of imaginative beignets our fest attendees get to experience all in one place, for one delicious day.”
A celebrity panel of judges including Tamela Gill Davis, Malik Mingo, Eating NOLA, Tam Loves to Eat, Aint that Phancy and two contest winners awarded the Judge’s Choice to Loretta’s Authentic Pralines’ Praline Beignet. Loretta’s has been a staple of the Beignet Fest since it began in 2016 winning Best Savory and Judges Choice for its Crabmeat Beignet in the past. This was the first year that the Praline Beignet received the Judges Choice.
Thanks to generous support from the New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Foundation, Beignet Fest brought a full lineup of local talent, headlined by Marc Broussard and the legendary Rebirth Brass Band. Other musical performances included the Imagination Movers, Jeffrey “Jellybean” Alexander presents KINDRED and the Prism Project.
Beignet Fest was supported by leading sponsors PJ’s Coffee, Abita Beer, The Times-Picayune/NOLA.com, Gambel Communications and other local businesses.
Proceeds from Beignet Fest benefit the Beignet Fest Foundation with a mission to celebrate, embrace and empower the lives of children with autism and their families. To learn more about the Beignet Fest Foundation, visit beignetfest.com.
About Beignet Fest:
Beignet Fest is a premier food festival in Louisiana that celebrates one of New Orleans’s most iconic dishes all in one place on one day. Proceeds from the event benefit the Beignet Fest Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit organization established to raise awareness and support for programs in Greater New Orleans that serve autistic youth and their families.
Recent Beignet Fest recognition includes:
- Garden & Gun – Top Southern Fall Food Festival List 2024 and 2023
- New Orleans Magazine – Tops of the Town Voter Poll Honoree 2023
- Southern Living – Best Food Festivals in the South 2023
- Tasting Table – 21 Bucket List Food Festivals 2023