Sip, Savor & CELEBRATE Rouge et blanc 10th anniversary issue
At CHRISTUS St. Patrick Hospital, we are committed to providing health education and resources as well as high quality, compassionate patient care to help our community stay healthy and strong. • Behavioral Health Services • Chest Pain Center • CHRISTUS HomeCare – Hospice and Palliative Care • CHRISTUS Louisiana Athletic Club – Lake Charles • Day Surgery
• Emergency Services • Gastrointestinal Laboratory • Neurosurgery • Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation • Physical Rehabilitation • Pre-Admission Center
• Regional Cancer Center • Regional Heart Center • Southwest Louisiana Imaging • Women’s Health Center • Workplace Wellness • Wound Center – Imperial Pointe
For more information on any of these services, call (337)491-7577.
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2015 Partners Make Rouge et Blanc A Huge Success Rouge et Blanc Wine and Food Event is one of the most anticipated events each year in Southwest Louisiana. Now in its tenth year, this sellout event, has increased from 500 attendees to 1,750 and has grown from a one-day event to a full week a delicious food and wine experiences. It’s all thanks to the generosity of this community and our generous corporate supporters. Enjoy our 2015 Rouge et Blanc festivities!
Paradise Florist
Wine Sponsors Wine Retailers
Southwest Beverage Co.
GLAZER’S TEXAS ANNOUNCES FINE WINE APPOINTMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 1, 2015
Contact: Louis Zweig (972) 702-0900 ext. 389 lzweig@glazers.com
DALLAS – Glazers, Inc., one of the country’s largest wine, spirits and malt beverage distributors, is pleased to announce the appointment of Brooks Jorgensen to Vice President and General Manager D&E Fine Wine Group for the state of Texas. Brooks will be responsible for working with State Leadership on all facets of Glazer’s Fine Wine business in Texas, including driving supplier relationships, customer development, and in-market execution of Glazer’s Fine Wine strategy. Jorgensen will report to Matt Metz, Senior Vice President - Texas.
Lake Street Liquor
Brooks Jorgensen, currently Vice President On Premise Texas, joined Glazer’s three years ago to lead Glazer’s on premise business in the state. During his tenure with Glazer’s, Brooks has effectively worked with Glazer’s Sales and Marketing teams, along with the company’s vendors and customers, to dramatically energize Glazer’s market position in the important Texas on premise market. Prior to joining Glazer’s, Brooks worked with Moet Hennessy USA, Don Sebastiani & Sons, and Southern Wine and Spirits of Nevada. Jamey Bellan, currently Director On Premise Spirits Texas, will assume the role of Vice President On Premise Texas. Bellan began his career in the beverage alcohol industry with Glazer’s thirteen years ago. After successful tenures with Chopin Vodka, Russian Standard and Southern Wine & Spirits, he returned to Glazer’s three years ago in his current role. Bellan will also report to Matt
10% of proceeds from the purchase of wine during Rouge et Blanc will go to benefit Banners at McNeese.
Ten Years of Good Wine Great Food & Growth Rouge et Blanc isn’t just a premier food and wine event for Southwest Louisiana—it’s viewed as one of the most popular culinary events in the state. In the ten years since the first bottle of wine uncorked, Rouge et Blanc has welcomed thousands of visitors under the stately live oaks of Lake Charles to provide the best the region has to offer. The main event is a four-hour tasting extravaganza. Each year, the event has grown. The inaugural Rouge et Blanc sold 500 tickets at $50. In 2015, the event sold 1,750 tickets at $100, with 65 wine tents and 42 food tents. Rouge et Blanc is made possible through the generosity of area sponsors, restaurants, wine vendors, expert presenters, patrons, and community volunteers—a group that has grown over the past decade. Rouge et Blanc continues to serve as the flagship fundraiser for Banners at McNeese State University, underlining a long-term relationship between the two. Rouge et Blanc provides educational opportunities for patrons to expand their culinary knowledge and is enhanced with wrap-around events that promote the region’s cultural heritage. Over the past ten years, it has also promoted tourism, generated revenue and enhanced the culture of Southwest Louisiana by offering another stellar event that attracts people from outside the region.
Photos courtesy of Steve Schindler, Porché Aerial Photography and Rouge et Blanc
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FOOD TRUCKS PULL INTO ROUGE ET BLANC
Attendees of this year’s Rouge et Blanc will notice an invasion of food trucks, ready to satiate palates with sloppy tacos, sandwiches and other vittles. Food trucks have gained an increasing presence in Lake Charles, and Rouge et Blanc will play host to some of the most familiar and beloved among them. These include Que Pasa, Kona Ice of Lake Charles and Sulphur, Luna Bar & Grill, Mobile Man Caves, the Sloppy Taco and Tikiz2U. Kona Ice and Tikiz2U serve shaved ice and ice cream. Sloppy Taco, one of the newest food trucks in town, is run by a brother duo in what they call their “savory slop chariot.” The Que Pasa and Luna food trucks are extensions of their successful Lake Charles restaurant locations. Meanwhile, the Mobile Man Cave is an event trailer that includes a BBQ pit, keg tap system, satellite TVs, and private bathrooms.
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Make the move. Elevate your lifestyle.”
“
Call me to sell your home TODAY.
Abby Cagle 337.532.0401
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McNEESE and ROUGE et BLANC:
A Cultural Relationship This year, Southwest Louisiana’s premiere food and wine event will be set against the backdrop of McNeese State University—a fitting place, considering the tenyear relationship between Rouge et Blanc and McNeese.
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The campus provides more space and shade, offers the convenience
of facilities, and further promotes the relationship between the event and the university. Rouge et Blanc has been held at various locations throughout the city since its inaugural year, but the event was held on the McNeese campus last year, a move that brought the event home to its roots. As Rouge et Blanc celebrates its 10th anniversary, it seems fitting to do so right where it all began.
Rouge et Blanc serves as the flagship fundraiser for Banners, an
organization within the framework of McNeese State University. Banners is dedicated to providing the community with access to exceptional arts and humanities programming and education unique to the area. Banners focuses on lifelong learning and an appreciation of cultural diversity. The organization’s staff works to enhance the quality of life in the communities of Southwest Louisiana.
The profit from Rouge et Blanc goes directly to the Banners
Memberships On Sale Now banners.org
at McNeese program, along with other funds generated through membership and sponsorship opportunities, and plays an integral role in bringing arts and humanities to the area.
“Placing Rouge et Blanc on the McNeese campus highlights the fact
that Banners lives here,” said Patricia Prudhomme, director of Banners. “We benefit from the many resources and support from the university family.”
The Banners cultural season provides more than 20 arts and
humanities performances, from lectures to music and dance, each year.
AN INVITATION THAT’S
MUSIC TO YOUR EARS
We invite you to join the Symphony Society, and become part of the musical culture in Southwest Louisiana. It’s the perfect way to learn more about all the Lake Charles Symphony has to offer. Exclusive membership benefits include: • Two tickets and premium seating at three classical concerts • Pre-party with the conductor and orchestra members at each concert • Celebration party at the Terrace at L’Auberge to honor Society contributors • Valet parking Visit www.lcsymphony.com for more information or to join the Symphony Society, and for a complete list of upcoming concerts, special events and details about the Lake Charles Symphony.
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McNeese Foundation Thanks All of the 2015 Rouge et Blanc Sponsors and Patrons
The
Discover more ways to support McNeese w w w. M c N e e s e F o u n d a t i o n . o r g
Raise Your Blended Glass Imagine a glass of wine, and you’re probably picturing a standard varietal, like Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon—plucked from the same grapevine, even if that grape came from different plots of the vineyard. According to US federal regulation, a varietal needs to be at least 75 percent of one type of grape. And when we think of wine, it’s the varietals that come to mind first. But wine blends have experienced growing popularity for several reasons; cost, variety, taste, and ease among them.
According to Ray Isle of Food and Wine, blending can be “extraordinarily useful.” This process, which involves blending one type of
grape with one or more others—just as its name suggests—can add spice, aroma, and body to an otherwise flat and predictable texture. Blended wines have also been known to move more easily through the system. Drinkers who experience headaches from tannins, for example, often find blends easier to handle.
Red blend wine can be a mix of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, or any red wine, according to Total Wine, making a “new,
more complete or complex flavor to enjoy.”
“A little Merlot—as the winemakers of Bordeaux have known for centuries—can round out … harsh tannins, tame Cabernet’s innate
aggressiveness, make it a bit more forgiving; flip that by adding a bit of Cabernet to a wine that’s primarily Merlot, and it’s like giving your juice assertiveness training,” Isle writes.
The idea of a blend isn’t to throw a random bunch of grapes in a barrel and wait for them to peak. Instead, it’s an intricate process
by which winemakers seek to bring out the best of each grape variety—individually and collectively. In some cases, mediocre grapes can become something extraordinary, even as the price remains reasonable.
Your takeaway: Feel no shame in raising your blended glass, because others are raising them, too—in increasing numbers.
2015
121 Artisan Bistro 1910 Restaurant & Wine Bar Acadian Coffee Roasters Agave Tamale Big Easy Foods Blue Dog Cafe of Lake Charles Casa Manana Community Coffee Company Cookey’s Caterers Coushatta Casino Resort Coyote Blues Ember Grille & Wine Bar at L’Auberge
Favorites Southern Kitchen at L’Auberge Harlequin Steaks & Seafood Hokus Pokus Liquor Store Izzo’s Illegal Burrito Kona Ice of Sulphur & Lake Charles Lake Charles Country Club LaVoglia Leonard’s Marketplace Marli’s Catering Co. McNeese Dining Powered by Chartwell’s Mobile Man Caves Pit Boss of Lake Charles
PJ’s Coffee of New Orleans Rotolo’s Pizzeria Saltgrass Steak House Sassy Oil & Vinegar Special Touch Therapeutic Massage SweetChic Cupcakes The Country Club at Golden Nugget The Sloppy Taco Tikiz Gulf Coast Toga Grill Trailblazin’ Catering Zeus Greek & Lebanese
Rouge et Blanc benefits Banners at McNeese. It is the only fundraiser for the program whiuch brings an eclectic mix of art and humanities events. K–12 Grade children are reached the Banners Engages Program each year. 12
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CELEBRATE
Culture
The arts are the heart of a community, and are a critical part of Walnut Grove’s plans for making our traditional neighborhood development (TND) a vibrant center for cultural activities. We will work to encourage and promote the arts, by hosting exhibits and performances at Walnut Grove, and by supporting community events like the McNeese Banners Series.
West Sallier Street, Lake Charles | walnutgrovetnd.com | (337) 497-0825 A variety of home styles and commercial properties are available.
COMMERCIAL HOME AUTO LIFE
Quality Protection with Professional Service
STEPHEN K. LYONS, CIC, CPIA President & Senior Account Executive
SHARRIE BOULLION, CISR, CPIA Principal & Operations Manager
3100 Lake Street • Lake Charles, La 70601
337.478.4466 • lyonsagency.com
2015 Rouge et Blanc Wine Dinners & Events WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7 Tasting and Bottle Signing with The Count of Buena Vista Vineyards Crave • 6pm THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8 Wine Dinner with The Count of Buena Vista Vineyards The Pioneer Club • 6:30pm SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10 Tobacco et Terroir-A Fine Cigar and Wine Experience The Cigar Club • 6pm – 9pm Enjoy a flight of five wines, fine cigars and exotic truffles. Music by Spanky from Pismo Beach. Call 337-562-8889 for details.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13 VIP Sponsor Reception Home of Dr. John and Lucinda Noble • 6pm – 8pm Featuring a selection of French wines and food pairings. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14 Wine Down to Benefit Calcasieu Community Clinic Reeves Uptown Catering • 5:30pm Republic National Distributing Company and Ryan Reeves will pair up to create a knock-your-socks off dining experience with six tasting-sized portions paired with six different wines, three white and three red. Tickets are $50 and are available at The Wine Store.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15 Imperial Calcasieu Museum Fundraiser Blue Dog Cafe • 7pm Five courses-each a Culinary Olympics Gold Medal winner. Wine commentary by DC Flynt, Master of Wine. Includes a lecture on the Blue Dog presented by Jacque Rodrigue on September 30, 2015 at Imperial Calcasieu Museum. Tickets are $150 each. Call 337-439-3793 for more information.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16 Wine Dinner 1910 Restaurant and Wine Bar Featuring the wines of Taft Street Winery SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17 Rouge et Blanc Grand Tasting McNeese State University Quad 2pm – 6pm SOLD OUT
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15 The Wine Store Taft Street Winery Tasting 5pm – 7pm
Beauty,
like fine wine, should get better with time.
That’s what we believe at the Aesthetic Center. We offer a full range of facial cosmetic treatments and products to help you look beautiful at every age.
OPENING THIS MONTH Come taste authentic Italian cuisine at LaVoglia, a new, upscale Italian restaurant in Lake Charles. We proudly serve fresh, handmade pasta dishes, pizzas, stromboli, entrees, seafood and more. DAILY HOURS: Sunday–Thursday: 11am–10pm
5656 Nelson Rd, Suite B2 Lake Charles, LA
Friday–Saturday: 11am–11pm
www.LaVoglia.net /LaVogliaLakeCharles
In The Eye Clinic facehealth.net
310-1070 • 1717 Oak Park Blvd., Lake Charles
Medical director:
Dr. Mark Crawford
Facial and Cosmetic Eye Surgery Specialist
October 2015
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Common Street 2015 VENDORS 121 Artisan Bistro 1910 Restaurant & Wine Bar Acadian Coffee Roasters
parking garage
parking
parking
Agave Tamale Big Easy Foods Blue Dog Cafe of Lake Charles Casa Manana
Vernon Drive
VIP Parking Entry
GOLD ENTRY
street closed
FOOD TRUCK AREA
Farrar Hall
vip parking only
parking
Hokus Pokus Liquor Store Izzo's Illegal Burrito Kona Ice of Sulphur & Lake Charles Lake Charles Country Club
Rotolo's Pizzeria Saltgrass Steak House Sassy Oil & Vinegar Special Touch Therapeutic Massage SweetChic Cupcakes The Country Club at Golden Nugget
Leonard's Marketplace
The Sloppy Taco
Cookey's Caterers
Marli's Catering Co.
Tikiz Gulf Coast
Coushatta Casino Resort Coyote Blues
McNeese Dining Powered by Chartwell's
Toga Grill
Ember Grille & Wine Bar at L'Auberge
Mobile Man Caves Pit Boss of Lake Charles
Trailblazin' Catering Zeus Greek & Lebanese
Cameron Drive
Robert D. Hebert Drive
E. Sale Road
STAGE Burton Business Building
TABLES
WINE APP ORDERING STATION
RED ENTRY
McNeese Bookstore
Raffle
Bulber Auditorium
photo booth
S W
street closed
street closed
drop off & pick up zone only
Ryan Street
To I-210 and I-10
parking
Memorial Circle VIP Area
E N
street closed Kaufman Hall
Beauregard Drive
street closed
McNeese Bookstore
Business Conference Center
Lawton Drive
2015 EntertainmenT
Calcasieu Drive
SITE MAP & PARKING
Allen Drive
McNeese State University Campus
PJ's Coffee of New Orleans
Harlequin Steaks & Seafood
LaVoglia
Community Coffee Company
parking
Favorites Southern Kitchen at L'Auberge
Ryan Street
Fall in Love with Our Seasonal Wines. Specializing in unique, small batch wine selections.
at Walnut Grove Lunch: Tu - Fri, 11am - 2pm l Happy Hour: Tu - Fri, 4-6pm l Dinner: Tu - Sat, 5 - 10pm Insta
www.restaurantcalla.com
l
1400 Market Street, Lake Charles
Rouge et Blanc Uncorks Convenient App for Patrons If you’ve ever attended Banners’ signature fundraiser, Rouge et Blanc, you know the joy of visiting tent after tent, sampling one fine wine after another accompanied by scrumptious morsels of food from area restaurants. But when you found the perfect wine and wished to place an order, there were cumbersome slips of paper to fill out and turn in, all while holding a wine glass and an appetizer plate. Then you might have to wait up to two weeks for your wine to arrive. This year, there’s an app for that! A team led by Lyle Hardee, a graduate of McNeese State University and the MSU Innovation Technology Coordinator, developed an app that simplifies and expedites the process.
y ar
discounted prices, but it will only function on the day of the event until
R
The app allows patrons to order wines by the bottle or the case at
anc Tenth Ann t Bl ive e e rs g u o
6:00 p.m. The app is web-based and will work on any type of phone. One advantage of the app is it allows patrons to easily keep track of their orders and know how much they have spent. No math skills involved.
Tech Support A link to the app will be announced and available closer to the event. For less tech-savvy patrons, or for those who maybe have had one too many samples, MSU Innovation Lab students will be available at a special tent stocked with iPads to help attendees enter their orders.
The Imbiber Program The wine ordering app allows both ticket
proud to partner with
McNeese Banners Series as champagne sponsor of
Rouge et Blanc
holders and non-attendees to order wines. If someone orders a minimum of $200 in wines, they are automatically
2015
enrolled in the Imbiber Program. This program guarantees their members have the opportunity to purchase two “gold level” tickets (a larger wine glass
visit one of our southwest louisiana locations today. www.iberiabank.com
and preferred entrance to
Member
the event) to next year’s event. This greatly benefits those people who want to attend but don’t order tickets quickly enough. The annual limit of 1,750 tickets sells out faster than you can stomp a grape. October 2015
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Get on Board
How to present the perfect cheese board Few things are as loved as cheese, wine and good conversation. So it is clear to see the Photo courtesy of Crystal Hines-Ortego at Calla
appeal of the cheeseboard; it unites the dynamic of all three. Offering a perfect cheese
New cheeses are fresh cheeses like mozzarella, feta or ricotta; they
platter has become as popular as pairing wines
are usually milky-white and tend to be milder with a softer texture.
for a dinner party. But fear not—creating a
Goat cheese can come both fresh and aged and tends to have a
cheeseboard can be as fun as eating it once
stronger taste than cow’s milk.
you know how to put it all together.
Blues can range from very strong to mild depending on how long they have been aged. It is the blue veins that result when a cheese is inoculated with mold and allowed to age. However you choose the cheeses, stick to two or three varieties for a small party and four to five if you’re having a crowd. More is not always
Picking the cheeses
better and can be overwhelming to your guest’s palate.
Need a little help? You can talk to a cheese expert—known as a cheesemonger. It’s their job to help you navigate through the
Accompaniments
seemingly endless choices and foreign worlds of cheese. The
This is where things can get tricky. Remember, this is a cheese plate,
amount of selections available can be overwhelming so let them
not an accompaniment plate. One bread or cracker, one in-season fruit,
take the lead, but make sure you tell them what your needs and
one compote, and one or two options, like olives or salami, will make
tastes are.
your board tasteful, not overdone. Dark chocolate makes a tasty partner
If you’re more of a do-it-yourselfer, you can follow this little
paired with stronger blue cheeses. Honey alone is a great option, it will
rhyme: “old, new, goat and blue”.
enhance most any cheese you want to pair it with.
The old cheese simply means aged. The longer a cheese ages,
Make sure not to pour any accompaniment directly onto the cheese
they either become hard and crumbly or runny. They can often be
so as to not make a decision for your quests. The proper etiquette is to
on the salty side but they have great flavor.
taste the cheese alone before adding any pairings.
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Slicing the cheese Slice the cheese as to maintain its shape, taking care not to cut the point or the ‘nose’ off the cheese, nor ‘mine’ into the center of the cheese. Everyone should share part of the rind, not leaving it for the last person. Of course, eating the rind is a matter of personal taste and
Serving Cheese has the best flavor when served at room temperature around 70 degrees. Pulling it out of the fridge about an hour before serving should give you enough time. You can lightly cover the cheese with a sparsely damp towel to keep it from drying out. Typically, a board should be arranged and also eaten in a clockwise manner, from milder to stronger cheeses. Think of a clock. Put the milder cheese at 12:00 with the strongest cheese at 11:00. Separate stronger cheese from the milder ones so the odor doesn’t transfer and muddle the flavors. The best way to assemble a cheese platter is so it is accessible from different angles, allowing multiple people to help themselves at the same time. You can fill any empty spaces on your board with your accompaniments of fruit, nuts, jams or honey. Bread can be placed on the board or in a basket. A well-laid cheese platter will look like a work of art so you have the ability to get creative.
can be left on your plate if you choose not to eat it. The goal should always be to leave the plate as pretty as you found it. If possible, use separate knives for each cheese. If there is only one knife on the cheese board, clean it with bread before cutting a different type of cheese as to not leave any traces. • A long knife with the forked tip is good for cutting softer cheeses and doubles as a spreader. • The spade-shaped knife has a sharp edge for cutting hard cheese into slices. • The pointed fork is good for chipping away at harder, aged cheeses and transferring cheese from the board to individual plates. • The flat knife that looks like a shovel is good for cutting cheese into cubes or slices, or as a spatula to transfer the cheese to a plate. • The small rounded knife is a spreader for soft cheeses.
A local realtor who knows & s Southwest Louisiana!
A local realtor who knows & s Southwest Louisiana! We are excited to introduce Nikki P’s Realty to Southwest Louisiana. We may be a new real estate company, but our roots in this community run deep. We are local realtors with a passion for Southwest Louisiana and the members of this great community that we are proud to serve. Nikki Pruitt, owner and broker of Nikki P’s Realty is an experienced realtor who knows and loves her hometown of Southwest Louisiana. Nikki is an honor graduate from McNeese State University with a degree in marketing. Her strong passion for local business comes naturally as her family has had local businesses in Lake Charles for over 40 years. Watching her family’s desire to promote local business and a strong local economy, she has watched her mother and sister grow Nina P’s café, her uncle grow Luna Bar & Grill and her sister and her husband open Southern Title & Escrow. Nikki has had the honor of being recognized as a top producer in Southwest Louisiana for several years and is excited to open the doors to her own real estate company. Nikki P’s Realty is a boutique real estate company where southern hospitality and personal service paired with experienced agents is what we believe is the key to a successful relationship with our clients. Our agents are excited and honored to serve Southwest Louisiana and we hope you will give us the chance to earn your business.
(337) 302-7994 • Nikkipruitt.com • 852 University Drive - Lake Charles, LA October 2015
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