Chefs from The Hound ready to compete in national seafood cook-off

AUBURN, Ala. (WSFA) – When it comes to cooking seafood, a team of chefs from Auburn is the best in the state. They just won the Sweet Grown Alabama Seafood Cook-off in Orange Beach. Now they’re trying to get the title of best in the country. Chef and co-owner of The Hound in Auburn, Robbie Nicolaisen, told us competitions are a little different from a busy night at the restaurant.

Two chefs from The Hound in Auburn just won the Sweet Grown Alabama Seafood Cook-Off. Now they’re heading to New Orleans for the national competition.(WSFA)

“A regular night here, we’ve gotten so used to it, and I like to say we’re a well oiled machine,” said Nicolaisen. “Everything is kind of muscle memory and so we know what to expect as we do it day in and day out. Competition is a switch up. It’s not something that I’m familiar with and I don’t do every day, so yeah, it can be a little… it can play on your nerves a little bit.“

He wasn’t alone.

“It was my first cooking competition,” said Gabe Atkinson, sous chef at The Hound. “I don’t know. I was a good time. I had fun. It was a lot faster than I thought it would go.”

Two chefs from The Hound in Auburn just won the Sweet Grown Alabama Seafood Cook-Off. Now they’re heading to New Orleans for the national competition.(WSFA)

The best chefs in the state all got together using only things grown or caught in Alabama. The winning dish?

“We did a amber roasted Cobia, we put that over a sweet corn puree, we did a Gulf shrimp and Chilton County peach chow chow, and we finished it with a little brown butter corn bread crumble,” said Nicolaisen.

Two chefs from The Hound in Auburn just won the Sweet Grown Alabama Seafood Cook-Off. Now they’re heading to New Orleans for the national competition.(Credit: Billy Pope)

It must’ve been really good. They won.

“Someone behind me even popped champagne and there was spraying like we won the World Series or something. It was pretty crazy but it was cool.”

Now it’s off to the national competition against the best seafood chefs in the country.

So, how does one prepare for a national cook-off?

“I don’t know,” said Nicolaisen. “I think we just do what we know how to do.”

Guess they’ll just keep on cookin’!

Chef Robbie and his team will now head to the Great American Seafood Cook-Off on July 25 in New Orleans.

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