The Chef John Folse Culinary Institute will hold its 16th annual Bite of the Arts fundraising gala on Nov. 8 celebrating the 200th anniversary of the New Orleans steamboat.
This year’s theme, “Rollin’ on the River: Celebrating the Steamboat Bicentennial,” will be added to the past list of many unique themes for the Bite of the Arts Fundraiser.
“It’s called Bite of the Arts because we not only celebrate culinary arts, but arts in general,” Chef John Kozar, department head and assistant professor at Chef John Folse Culinary Institute, said.
In February of 1812, the steamboat New Orleans made the first journey down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers before docking in the city of its namesake, according to the Bite of the Arts flier. This trip is said to have helped kick-start the Industrial Revolution.  This year, Bite of the Arts will pay tribute to this historical voyage.
Kozar said Bite of the Arts is a student-planned and student-executed event. The students will serve as executive chef, sous chef, rounds cook, pastry chef, steward, sommelier, maître d’ and servers.
“Students do all of the organization, all the food preparation, they set up the dining room, and they serve the dinner,” Kozar said. “We include everybody. First semester freshmen will be washing dishes and polishing silverware. Students who are in the restaurant classes will serve guests, and students can apply for leadership positions, like executive chefs.”
Guests will be served a three-course meal prepared by Nicholls culinary students. Student chefs will be under the direction of visiting chef Regina Charboneau, chef de cuisine for the American Queen, a paddlewheel steamboat that offers overnight Mississippi River cruises.
“Her menu is based on a menu that Mark Twain had on a riverboat in the 1800s,” Kozar said. “So she sent us all the recipes, and the students have gone through the recipes and multiplied them out for the 300 guests that will be in attendance.”
The menu this year includes cocktails such as Twain Tea and bourbon steeped with orange marmalade and black tea. There will be several reception tables with a variety of hor d’oeuvres. The dinner will be braised beef short rib with Port and Star anise horseradish, mashed sweet potatoes, haricots verts with smoked almonds, and a dessert of fig and pecan bread pudding with caramelized sugar and bourbon sauce.
The fundraiser will be held in the Bollinger Memorial Student Union, and Blaine Kern Studios will return to decorate the venue to fit the theme as they have done in the past.
The night will begin at 6:30 with a cocktail reception with hor d’oeuvres and a silent auction. Afterwards, the dinner and a live auction will begin at 7:30. The auction will include gift certificates, bottles of wine, artwork, jewelry and more. Wine will be served during the meal while guests listen to live Dixieland music.
All proceeds from the fundraiser will go to the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute for student scholarships, equipment, and faculty development and research. This event has raised over $600,000 since 1997. Reservations and tickets are made ahead of time. Individual tickets are $150 per person. Benefactor tables for eight are $2,500, and corporate tables for 10 are $5,000. Commemorative event posters will be available to each couple in attendance.