Creative Crustacean Cookery Awaits You at Jekyll Island's Annual Wild Georgia Shrimp and Grits Festival.
UPDATE!!!
Want to stay abreast of what's happening on Jekyll Island? Subscribe to the TURTLE-GRAM BLOG and receive updates on this festival as well as other island events. "We had us a shrimp boil, ... We fed a bunch of kids, too." - Patricia Green Shrimp and Grits Festival Journal - We arrived on Jekyll Island late one damp Saturday afternoon. The rain had blown out by the time we drove to the Millionaire's Village to get a "Big Cookie" at Cafe Solterra. Imagine our delight when we discovered we'd lucked into the Amateur Chef Competition part of Jekyll Island's annual Wild Georgia Shrimp Festival. Sometimes Lady Luck smiles and you count your blessings. In no time we were nostril-deep in the rich scent of cooking shrimp. Delectable pink crustaceans bubbling merrily at a slow boil, or lying prettily on beds of crisp, green lettuce. Or combined in savory delights with other mysterious ingredients. It was a shrimp-lovers paradise. Needless to say, we ate good that evening...
photo by Rick Freeland Well, There's Shrimp Gumbo, Grilled Shrimp, Shrimp and Grits...All of Bubba Gump's Favorites! The Jekyll Island Wild Georgia Shrimp (and Grits) Festival is just that - a celebration of Georgia shrimp and the shrimping industry. No farm-bred critters here. All these babies are caught off the Georgia coast, in their wild state. The marsh ecosystem and the action of the tides work together to provide the nutrition needed to grow tasty shrimp. I don't pretend to understand how it works - I just enjoy the results! There's no substitute for home-grown shrimp, fresh from the sea. Besides being perfect for a good meal, shrimp provide work for Georgia families, some of whom have shrimped Georgia's coastal waters for generations. The knowledge these men and women have gleaned from hands-on experience and from their elder kin is invaluable. These folks know where the critters congregate! They're ALL Good! So we poked around the booths at the Wild Georgia Shrimp and Grits festival, taking in the flavor (pun intended) of the competition. Both amateur and professional chefs came to Jekyll Island to showcase their skills and have their offerings judged in two rounds of competition. Round One is judged by a panel of Professional Judges. Chefs are allowed 2 hours to cook their shrimp-based dishes. Amateur chefs must serve 2 meal-size portions to the judges, and professional chefs must provide three portions. Judging is done on a points system in four categories: presentation and general impression; creativity; correct preparation and sanitation; and flavor, taste, texture and whether the shrimp are cooked done. In Round Two, contestants must serve 25 sample portions to a group of folks sitting on a Consumer's Choice Panel. This round is judged only on taste. Regular folks like us can sign up for the Consumer's Choice panel, and pig out on (I mean, daintily sample) offerings from all the chefs in the competition. Since this is a shrimp and GRITS festival, all the dishes must be made with grits. I remember talking with the master chef of a team from New York and jokingly asked, "Do ya'll even know what grits are?" Without missing a beat, he answered, "Hadn't a clue until this morning." Shrimp Ain't All They Got! Of course, anytime 2 Southerner's get together is an excuse for a party, so it's no wonder that there's more than Shrimp and Grits at the Shrimp and Grits Festival. You'll also find a fine recipe for fun: Add a couple dozen or more Arts and Crafts vendors, a pinch of family fun activities for the kids, stir in a BMX Stunt Show, add a dollop of shrimp eating contests, and sprinkle in various live musical acts. Simmer under the Jekyll Island sun, and presto - great family fun for everyone. And it's all "G" rated. For dessert, try the Shrimp and Grits Fun Run, or the Wild Georgia Golf Tournament - kids 12 and under play free on any of Jekyll Island's 18-hole courses with a paying adult. Come And Get It! The 2010 Wild Georgia Shrimp Festival will be held September 17-19 (a wonderful time to visit Jekyll Island). Parking will be at the Convention Center on Saturday and Sunday. Families can hop a tram to the festival site and back. Be sure to show up Friday for $3.00 Sample Night, from 5:30 to 8:00 pm. Come early, eat some shrimp, have fun at the festival. Then take time-out to enjoy the peace and beauty of Jekyll Island in the early fall! Hope to see you there. Return from Wild Georgia Shrimp and Grits Festival to Special Events
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