![]() ½-cup green onion, sliced on a bias for garnish "Seafood is king all the time especially (during) Mardi Gras, but they wouldn't dare put cheese on it, but I would. Just find a quality Cajun seasoning, he's partial to Slap Ya Mama brand, and stir it into green beans just before serving or season a skinless, boneless chicken breast before pan searing or baking. Though you don't need fancy sauce or years of culinary experience to add a dash of Louisiana flavor here in Wisconsin, Champion says. When Shullsburg Creamery, one of Champion's show sponsors, hands him a block of its latest cheese, Champion finds a way to combine it with a little Creole flavor. There's a reason they call him Ace Champion."Ĭlearly Champion has mastered the art of cheese in cooking. One of his creations, an apple pie grilled cheese topped with a 10-year-old brandy caramel sauce, had "Wisconsin Foodie" host Kyle Cherek, who was emcee for the event, saying, "you should all just kneel. ![]() The only time he used cheese in New Orleans was to put a slice on a burger, Champion says.Ĭhampion has more than adapted to using cheese in his cooking, bringing home a first place and a pair of second-place honors at the 2018 Wisconsin Grilled Cheese Championship. Gone were the days of cooking with seafood caught fresh that same day. Wisconsin sausage, especially bratwurst, are fattier than Andouille sausage, common in New Orleans dishes. Moving to Wisconsin was a culinary shockĮven if you've never been further south than Racine, it's not difficult to imagine there is a big gap in the food scene between Wisconsin and Louisiana.Ĭhampion got a big helping of culinary shock when he moved here. But he says it is worth the extra effort because now he has control of his brand. Champion." Going this route has him writing the script, finding guests and sponsors, and pitching his show to television stations and networks. Now he's filming another season of "Cook Like A. ![]() He was into the first season of the cooking show when he realized he'd only be the talent and wouldn't have rights to the content if he didn't strike out on his own. Then he made the jump from being just a guest chef on local television shows to having his own show. It's not a traditional recipe cookbook as it is a book aimed at improving skills and confidence in the kitchen. He self-published a cooking instruction book. He's since expanded to do cooking classes as corporate team-building exercises. He pushed on, graduating from FVTC, then holding down a job as a chef at a retirement community while using his vacation days to find places to do cooking demonstrations and lead cooking classes. Wisconsin isn't exactly known for producing celebrity chefs. Looking back, he understands the reaction. In one of his first classes, everyone was asked what they hoped to accomplish in their culinary careers. When Champion said he wanted to be a celebrity chef, everyone laughed. Though his restaurant experiences had him thinking about a different path to success. ![]() He enrolled in the Fox Valley Technical College culinary arts program. It was a wake-up call.Ĭhampion says his wife encouraged him to go back to school. Still, his career didn't progress as hoped.Īt age 30, Champion suffered a stroke. He perfected his knife skills as a meat cutter for a local grocery store. He started with jobs in restaurant kitchens. Finding success included a leap of faith, a stroke and schoolĬhampion was working in a sausage plant during the week and restaurants on the weekends in New Orleans, often considered one of America's best food cities, when he decided to leave to pursue his culinary dreams in Wisconsin. Soon you will be able to enjoy private label Champion wines (Peach on the Beach and a cabernet sauvignon) from Mona Rose Winery. A Champion beer at Copper State Brewing is also in the works. Yeah, that's the kind of dish that makes for delicious TV. His penchant to flambé these dishes, causing flames to leap from the skillet, also helps.Īnd who is going to turn down a helping of cherry bread pudding with a bourbon cream sauce? Still, Champion is well-aware that Wisconsinites heads turn when brandy or bourbon or other alcohol is in the recipe title. In Wisconsin, it's just frequently used. You know, straight from the bottle. Alcohol is frequently used in cooking in New Orleans, Champion says. Which brings us to some culinary common ground between the Badger State and the Big Easy. Champion's recipe calls for shrimp and crawfish meat and a sherry cream sauce made with sherry and, among other things, brandy. Then there's the seafood stuffed baked potato. In other recipes, he brings the North to Southern cooking like his cheesy hush puppies and a cream cheese sweet potato pie. Sometimes he adds Southern flair to Wisconsin staples like his recipes for Cajun cheese curds and Cajun smokehouse grilled cheese.
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