Well-known Homer chef Chef Mandy Dixon will  represent Alaska in the 11th annual Great American Seafood Cook-Off at 11:30 a.m. Aug. 2 in New Orleans.
She is one of 18 chefs from throughout the United States competing for the crown honoring the best seafood chef in the nation.
Louisiana Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne and the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board are hosting the event.
“It’s a thrill to bring Alaska seafood to Louisiana, the home of this national cook-off, and compete against a group of America’s most talented chefs,” Dixon said.
Dixon is the owner and chef of La Baleine Café on the Homer Spit.
In 2013 she competed in the Great Alaska Seafood Cook Off, in which she tied for second place.
Born in Anchorage and raised at family lodges in Yentna and later Winterlake Lodge, Dixon trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena, Calif.  
The Great American Seafood Cook-Off, which is dedicated to promoting sustainable and domestic fisheries, first took place in the summer of 2004 when New Orleans chef John Besh took the title. The 2013 Cook-Off Crown went to chef David Crews from Mississippi. Chef Crews prepared a Southern Nicoise Salad featuring lump crab meat and seared tuna.
 
For the third consecutive year, organizers will join with 4-H to host a youth Cook-Off on the Sunday following the Great American Seafood Cook-Off. Youth competitors are required to prepare seafood dishes under 500 calories. Teams from Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi (two teams), Oklahoma and Texas will compete.