Chef Chris Hayes, a native Shreveporter who moved to New Orleans in 2010 and currently works as a chef at Felix’s Oyster Bar in New Orleans, will appear on Food Network’s reality cooking show Cooks vs. Cons on Wednesday, April 19 at 8 p.m. CST. The Fair Park High graduate, who received his culinary education at what is now known as Northwest Louisiana Technical College – Shreveport, will be recognizable to many food-loving locals as a former member of the culinary teams at DiamondJacks Casino, Abby Singer’s Bistro, and Hilton Shreveport. He also worked, for a time, as a server at Superior’s Steakhouse. How has he adjusted to life as a chef in New Orleans?
“I hit the ground running,” Hayes told me. “There are so many big names here, and so much talent, and I’m just trying to make a name for myself.”
His efforts appear to be paying off. Hayes has launched a catering company called The Smokin’ Oyster and has won top honors at some high-profile oyster cook-offs, including the Louisiana Oyster Jubilee in the French Quarter.
Hayes filmed his episode of Cooks vs. Cons on Valentine’s Day. The episode is the season premiere episode for the fourth season of Cooks vs. Cons, a reality cooking competition that pits amateur cooks against professional chefs for a $10,000 prize. Cooks vs. Cons host Geoffrey Zakarian is an American Iron Chef, restaurateur, television personality and author whose face has become synonymous with Food Network programs like Chopped and Top Chef.
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Featured Image: A photo of Chef Chris Hayes, downloaded from the Northwest Louisiana Technical College – Shreveport Facebook page.
Images note: Images for this post were downloaded from Facebook pages and are being used for promotional purposes in order to promote the work of a young, local chef. If you own the rights to these images and would like them taken down, please e-mail cjay@sbctb.org.
