Chefs Evening President's Toast to feature chefs of Covey Rise Lodge
Contact: Rene Abadie
Date: February 19, 2013
1) KITCHEN PREP – Covey Rise Lodge chefs Jenna Pecoraro and Marc Lyons prepare quail and freshly harvested vegetables in the kitchen of Covey Rise Lodge for dinner guests. Pecoraro and Lyons will serve as executive chefs for Southeastern Louisiana University's President's Toast, which precedes Chefs Evening on March 3.
2) FRESH FROM THE FARM – Covey Rise Lodge plants and harvests produce year round to provide the "field to table" experience for guests and to supply some of New Orleans' top restaurants with fresh, locally grown vegetables. Covey Rise will provide of selected hors d'oeuvres at Southeastern Louisiana University's President's Toast, which precedes Chefs Evening on March 3.
HAMMOND – Chefs Marc Lyons and Jenna Pecoraro of Covey Rise Lodge will serve as the exclusive
chefs for the President's Toast, the event that precedes Southeastern Louisiana University's
Chefs Evening.
The President's Toast is a limited attendance event that starts the evening by
welcoming guests to the President's residence on campus for a tasting of selected
hors d'oeuvres and wine pairings. The hors d'oeuvres are selected by the chefs.
Sponsored by the Southeastern Foundation, Chefs Evening is the university's primary
public fund raising event. The events will be held Sunday, March 3.
"We are very fortunate to have Chefs Lyons and Pecoraro and Covey Rise Lodge
partnering with us for the President's Toast," said Vice President for Advancement
Wendy Lauderdale. "It brings a special element to the evening to have these chefs
use locally grown food that comes from just north of Southeastern."
Located in Husser, Covey Rise is a 400-acre property that features a working
farm, hunting lodge and conference center, providing guests a unique southeast Louisiana
"field to table" experience. Owned by Jimbo Geisler and Ben Dutruch, Covey Rise uses
food grown on the farm and meat raised on its nearby sister farm for their savory
dishes.
Lyons, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., and
Pecoraro have been with Covey Rise since last year, creating dishes that focus on
the flavors of locally grown food.
"When you dine with us at Covey Rise, you are served the highest quality and
freshest local products available," Lyons said. "Our menus are written daily and are
determined by the produce that will have been harvested just hours before from the
Covey Rise fields."
"We are excited to share the Covey Rise experience at this prestigious occasion
and show our support for Southeastern," said owner Geisler. "Most of the food items
we bring to this event will be fresh from our Covey Rise and Chappapeela farms. A
taste of the 'field to table' experience guests receive at Covey Rise will be served
at the President's Toast.
The President's Toast is sponsored by LaCapital Federal Union and will be held
at 4 p.m. with Chefs Evening following at 5:30 p.m. at the Pennington Student Activity
Center. While tickets are available for both events, only a limited number remain
available for the toast.
For tickets or more information, call 985-549-2420, contact Andrew Hickman at
andrew.hickman@southeastern.edu, or go online to southeastern.edu/chefsevening.