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NEW ORLEANS - The National Fried Chicken Festival (FCF) presented by Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers has announced its largest and most diverse lineup of more than 50 restaurants set to participate in the sixth annual event on Sept. 30 - Oct. 1 along the New Orleans Lakefront.
Having added more than 15 restaurants from last year’s festival, this year’s food lineup is sure to impress with a variety of new and returning local favorites, including Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken, Southerns, Morrow’s, and Sun Chong, as well as restaurants representing every part of the U.S., including Your Side Chicks from Oregon, Bird Box Express and Birrieria la Poblana from the DMV, Four Pegs Smokehouse and POLLO from Kentucky, Fry Daddy’s from Alabama, STUFF’D Wings from Texas, PONKO Chicken from Georgia, and Rickette’s World Famous Chicken, Fish & BBQ from Illinois.
With over 50 total participating restaurants serving their unique spins on fried chicken, FCF 2023 is proud to be featuring its broadest and most inclusive range of menu offerings, including vegan, vegetarian, organic, gluten- and dairy-free options, so there’s truly something for everyone to be able to come out and enjoy the iconic Southern dish. A taste of this year’s menu includes never-before-seen items like a 100% gluten-free hot fried chicken sandwich, boudin- and seafood-stuffed chicken tenders, an organic vegan fried chicken sandwich, crispy fried cornish hens, fried chicken corn dogs, and much more.
Each of the restaurants will have the opportunity to compete for bragging rights in the festival’s two highly coveted tasting contests, "Best Fried Chicken" and "Best Use of Fried Chicken in a Dish" judged by a distinguished panel comprised of food critics, restaurateurs, journalists, influencers, and more.
Additionally, festival organizers are proud to announce a stacked lineup of nationally renowned celebrity chefs and culinary influencers to be featured on its new HEINZ® “Food is Culture” Stage, including Kimberly Nichols (@kimmyskreations.1), Lorenzo Espada “Chef Renzo” (@eatwitzo), and Daron Brown (@daronthechef), who will be leading various cooking demonstrations, ted-style stalks, and panel discussions on culinary and food culture throughout the weekend.
“We were very intentional about elevating our overall culinary experience for this year’s festival, which shows in our largest-ever restaurant lineup and the addition of the new HEINZ culinary stage,” said Cleveland Spears, III, FCF organizer and President/CEO of the Spears Group. “We’re proud to be featuring the best of the best America has to offer when it comes to fried chicken – from our participating restaurants and menu items to the national celebrity chefs we’re flying in – making FCF 2023 a can’t-miss event for festival-goers and foodies everywhere.”
FCF 2023 is made possible thanks to the generous support of festival sponsors, including long-time presenting sponsor Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, HEINZ, Stella Artois, New Orleans Tourism and Culture Fund, AT&T, Cricket Wireless, Crown Royal, New Schools for New Orleans, Entergy, New Orleans & Company, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Cayman Jack, Chandon, The Law Offices of Chip Forstall, Louisiana Fish Fry, Louisiana Office of Culture, Recreation & Tourism, Coca-Cola, Luzianne, Tanqueray, Outfront, iHeartMedia, Inc., WWL-TV, Where Y’at Magazine, and WBOK 1230 AM.
The National Fried Chicken Festival Presented by Raising Cane’s is produced by the Festivals for Good, a Louisiana-based 501c3 nonprofit with the mission of bringing diverse groups of people together to celebrate common interests, such as love for food, while supporting small and diverse businesses.
View the FCF 2023 restaurant lineup and sample menus at friedchickenfestival.com/restaurants and click here for tickets.
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