Dat Dads’ Club holds cookoff to raise money for United Way

Unlimited samples of gumbo and pastalaya cooked by local teams were served up this month when the Dat Dads’ Club of Luling held Gradoux on the Bayou.

Club President Claude Adams said the fourth annual event pulled in 10 teams and nearly 200 paid entries, with all proceeds benefitting United Way of St Charles.

“United Way was the beneficiary this year because they could not hold their Battle for the Paddle,” Adams said. “Battle for the Paddle is a community event that also raises money for United Way causes. We wanted to give back to them as a ‘thank you’ for all they have done both before and after the storm.”

Adams said Dat Dads members thought holding the event was important for the community to return to some sense of normalcy after COVID and Hurricane Ida.

“The people that were there and the teams had a really good time,” he said.

The event, which featured live music, was held in the River Parishes Community College United Way of St. Charles Campus parking lot.

“In this post-Ida world, I continue to be appreciative and humbled by individuals and agencies in the community like Dat Dad’s Club,” Executive Director for United Way of St. Charles John Dias said. “These are people whose own homes and businesses and lives were damaged and yet they still find time to help their neighbors.”

The gumbo category was won by the Gorgeous Ladies of Willowdale and Mimosa Park (Glow-AMP) and the pastalaya category won by Custom Tile Pool and Patio. The People’s Choice winner in the gumbo category was Glow-AMP and the pastalaya category winner was Southern Express Air Conditioning.

Southern Express Air Conditioning took second place in the pastalaya category, and Loyd J Bourgeois took third place.

In the gumbo category, Southern Express Air Conditioning won second place and the VFW secured third place.