The One Team One Fight organization will host its crawfish cook-off for St. Charles Parish first responders at the Edward A. Dufresne Community Center in Luling Saturday, April 12 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The event is open to the public, with $25 adult presale tickets and $30 adult door tickets. Tickets for children 6-12 years old are $10. There is free entry for children 6 and under.
President of One Team One Fight Natalie Robert Wright said 43 teams will compete this year. The entry fee covers all food inside the venue, including crawfish, hamburgers, hotdogs and other items teams cook. Beverages and beer will be available for purchase. No outside food or beverages are allowed.
The event will also feature live music by Ryan Foret, DJ Phrozen and Shot Time. Kids activities include a petting zoo by Red Barn Farms and face painting.
Last year, crawfish shortages and price increases forced the group to cancel its cook-off. In 2023, about 3,000 people attended the cook-off. This year, nearly 5,000 people could attend the event.
Wright said the event outgrew its previous locations at West Bank Bridge Park and Monsanto Park.
“I’m excited for a bigger venue, a bigger space,” Wright said. “The event brings a lot of camaraderie. It shows [first responders] how much the parish really supports them. They still go out there and do the job even with all the difficulties they face – the pandemic, the storms, the tragedies.”
One Team One Fight consists of members of the parish’s fire departments, Sheriff’s Office, Fraternal Order of Police, hospital’s emergency services and EMS personnel.
The cook-off for first responders started as a friendly competition in 2016 among emergency responders and ER staff at the St. Charles Parish Hospital. The following year, Wright created the organization One Team One Fight and turned the cook-off into a fundraiser for first responders in the parish.
That first year, the event had eight teams and raised $7,500. In 2023, the cook-off raised $25,000. The money raised at the event supports education, training and equipment for first responders.
“It’s been amazing to watch and see that grow,” she said. “To say now we are even at a bigger location, you can’t even put into words.”
Vendors this year include Nola Snow Snowballs, Rougabrew Coffee, Petal Glow Co. and others.
The event is sponsored by Shell. Tiered sponsors include Valero, Dow, Reliable Portables, Brand Scaffolding, United Rentals, Event Producers, St. Charles FastSigns, Louie’s Wrecker Services, Dirt Worx, Birdies, St. Charles Parish Hospital, Bunge, VFIS, The Seafood Pot, LA Seafood PMB, United Way, US Fire Pump LLC, Hammill Construction, Dana Holliday, Greg Miller, Olinde Porche Insurance, Small World, All Star Electric, One Construction, Sol Spa and Michele Debruler.
