Emeril and Tony Chachere

[FistFullaRoux]

http://www.detnews.com/2005/business/0504/30/biz-166876.htm

They are added to the Wild American Shrimp movement. It's a government campaign to increase the demand for gulf shrimp, trying to elevate them to the level of Maine lobster and Alaskan salmon.

Emeril has his own brand of Tony Chacherie frozen shrimp for about 12 bucks a pound.

I think it's cool they are trying to increase the demand for these shrimp, and maybe trying to drive the price up a little bit for the shrimpers and processors to make a few more bucks. Kind of a shame that they have to use Emeril's name to do it, though.

[TAPrice]

Who else's name would they use? Frank Brigtsen? Susan Spicer?

Rather than slagging Emeril, shouldn't we be pleased that he's using his celebrity to help save the Gulf shrimpers? If this marketing program is going to succeed, it will have to win over people who aren't foodies. Emeril has the kind of appeal to do that.

We're not talking about foie gras, where a few artist chefs and their expensive restaurants could sustain an entire industry. Average consumers have to understand that all shrimp are not the same and purchases should not be made strictly on price.

[Lone Star]

. Average consumers have to understand that all shrimp are not the same and purchases should not be made strictly on price.

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Amen to that! And I say good for Emeril - our shrimpers need all the help they can get.

[joiei]

. Average consumers have to understand that all shrimp are not the same and purchases should not be made strictly on price.

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Amen to that! And I say good for Emeril - our shrimpers need all the help they can get.

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I agree, let them use his name recognition for a good cause. Who knows, maybe they can get other chefs to join the cause. Here is a link to information about shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico. More than you probably ever thought you might need to know.

[Bolivar Petit Corona]

Who else's name would they use? Frank Brigtsen? Susan Spicer?

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You mean "Bubba Gump" isn't gettin' it, anymore?

[Mayhaw Man]

First of all the Emeril issue:

Emeril is, and remains, an important part of New Orleans and our food culture here. He is recognized everywhere and inspite of what many naysayers and know-it-alls here say, he is a hell of a chef, a great businessman, and a generally nice guy. Why wouldn't he be a good spokesman for the Gulf Shrimp Guys?

Frankly, I can't think of a better one at the moment.

Now to the shrimp issue:

The combination of environmental issues (t.e.d.s, hurricanes, coastal erosion, etc), the high cost of fuel (you try to start out your day buying a couple of thousand gallons of diesel at $2.25 a gallon and then driving on into work, not knowing if you are going to get paid or not), and a market being depressed by foriegn imports have combined to make it just short of impossible to make a living shrimping.

Those guys know that they are important to the economy and to the culture, and they know that somebody is going to catch them, they just want to make a living at it. Maybe if somebody like Emeril, with a fairly broad and occasionally sycophantic audience, really started promoting the things demand would actually go up.

Case in point:

In 1980 or so, Paul Prudhomme, a brilliant chef and larger than life personality in his own right, came up with a highly seasoned piece of fish that was quickly cooked on a dry, very hot, black iron skillet. This led to, in very short order, the Gulf of Mexico completely getting wiped out of redfish and a ban on commercial redfishing that in some forms still exist today. The price was sky high and fishermen were making out like bandits (admittedly they were shooting themselves in the foot catching all of the fish, but that's another kettle of fish). This bizarre episode almost wiped out a species of fish. Just one guy. Just one dish. I certainly am not promoting that kind of trainwreck, but who is to say that one really popular guy can't have an effect on the sales of a few million pounds of shrimp?

Perhaps Emeril will have the same kind of effect on the shrimp market that Paul Prudhomme had on the redfish market. I sure hope so-because right now I can buy really large mixed shrimp (these would be some in the 16-20 range and a few in there above and below) for 2 bucks right off of the boat. Those guys would rather sell them like that than go to all of the trouble of selling them to a dealer. If you're going to lose money, you might as well lose it to your friends and people who admire you-or at least that seems to be the prevailing attitude among the guys I know.

I, personally, would be most happy to pay more if it meant that a few more people are going to be able to do what they want to do. Shrimping is very, very hard work and it is beyond me why anyone would want to do it for a living, but I fully support them in their efforts. I buy Louisiana seafood. I buy it because I live in South Louisiana and I would be, let's face it, stupid not to. People come from all over the world to eat the stuff. Maybe with the right kind of promotion they will start to demand it at home, as well.

[Mayhaw Man]

I work in the tallest building in beautiful Kenner, LA. (that's where the airport is-the building is all of 5 floors ). I am on the top floor and can see all the way to downtown on most days (about ten miles). Just down 1-10 from my office is a large bill board that until today seemed to be owned by Harrah's Casino and Larry Flynt's Club in the Quarter. But no more! A new sign went up today that says, simply, in big block letters

Demand Louisiana Shrimp

I am not really sure who sponsored this, but it is an interesting coincidence considering this topic. While I was trying to find out whose billboard it was I ran across an interesting website that is not really about the business of shrimp, as much as it is about the history of the shrimping business. I reccomend it though, as it is pretty well done.

A brief history of Gulf Shrimping

[TAPrice]

Excellent. That's an interesting website you found. I'll have to work my way through all the pages.

[Mayhaw Man]

These guys are the ones with the big orange billboard heading into the town from the airport. It is right at 1-10 and Power Blvd.

[FistFullaRoux]

Sorry for the lag time here. I meant that it was a shame that they had to resort to any kind of gimmick, celebrity or otherwise. It was not a shot against Emeril.