Featuring New Collaborations with Chef Emeril Lagasse and Chef Frank Brigtsen
NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Center for Creative Arts’ (NOCCA) Culinary Arts students and faculty announced their 2026 king cake program, featuring two new king cake collaborations with well-known local chefs: Chef Emeril Lagasse’s Banana Cream Pie King Cake and Chef Frank Brigtsen’s Strawberry Tres Leches King Cake. NOCCA will also feature returning 2025 favorites including “The Goddess,” in partnership with the Krewe of Muses, plus NOCCA’s signature Gluten-Free Cinnamon and Satsuma Almond king cakes.
NOCCA king cakes are priced from $27 and available to pre-order now at www.NOCCAMarketplace.com (with US shipping available). Local pickup runs Jan. 6 – Feb. 16, 2026 at NOCCA and the King Cake Hub. Proceeds from NOCCA’s king cake program support the school’s Culinary Arts department and Louisiana’s next generation of chefs.
“Our king cake program is a great example of the teaching projects we employ to prepare tomorrow’s chefs for successful careers,” said Dana D’Anzi Tuohy, chair of NOCCA’s Culinary Arts program. “It teaches our students about the process of dreaming up and perfecting a product, and how to get that product into the hands of hungry fans. It also teaches them about the value of developing professional connections — connections that our faculty of professional chefs are fortunate to have with industry legends like Emeril Lagasse and Frank Brigtsen.”
2026 NOCCA King Cake Menu:
- Chef Emeril Lagasse’s Banana Cream Pie King Cake (Available all season): NOCCA faculty and students have performed Carnival magic by transforming Chef Emeril’s beloved banana cream pie into a magnificent king cake! Enjoy real bananas wrapped in a luscious vanilla cream, baked inside NOCCA’s soft, lightly sweet, brioche-style dough.
- Chef Frank Brigtsen’s Strawberry Tres Leches King Cake (Available Jan 19 – 29): No one loves strawberries more than NOCCA’s first-ever Chef-in-Residence, Chef Frank. In this one-of-a-kind king cake, he celebrates the season with fresh strawberries wrapped in tres leches custard and fresh strawberry jam inside our dough.
- The Goddess (Available Jan 30 – Feb 12): Back for a second year, this special king cake features the flavors of Greece: goat cheese and fig with candied orange and toasted walnuts, sprinkled with a smattering of goddess-worthy glitter.
- Satsuma Almond King Cake (Available all season): Your family, friends, co-workers, and fellow parade-goers will fall in love with this king cake, made with rich almond paste and tart, tangy Louisiana satsumas. It’s braided with a brioche-style dough, glazed with even more satsuma, and dusted with purple, green, and gold edible glitter. Give it as a gift or enjoy it yourself!
- Gluten-Free Cinnamon King Cake (Available all season): This is ideal for anyone who loves the taste of a classic New Orleans king cake but can’t do gluten. Soft and pillowy inside, with a not-too-sweet cinnamon ribbon and crust, vanilla glaze, and shimmery edible glitter, this is a cake for everyone to enjoy!
In addition, the NOCCA Foundation will bring back French Truck Coffee’s “Big Chief” Carnival blend, a unique, whole-bean blend of naturally processed coffees from El Salvador, Ethiopia and Brazil. This coffee is only available during Carnival season, and it offers a perfect accompaniment to king cake. A portion of proceeds from every 12 oz. bag of “Big Chief” coffee purchased will support NOCCA’s Culinary Arts program.
For more information on NOCCA’s King Cake Program, visit www.NOCCAMarketplace.com, and follow us on social media @nocca.nola and @noccafoundation.