Cooking in Central Returns March 22

Cooking in Central, the Official Festival of the City of Central, returns to the Amazing Place, 10305 Blackwater Road for another round of great food, entertainment, and fellowship. Amazing Place is located on Blackwater Road one mile north of Hooper Road.
This year’s event will be for one day only — Friday, March 22 from 5 to 10 p.m. Admission is free.
Food service will begin at 5 p.m. Food tickets are $15 for the crawfish boil or seafood dinners. Hamburgers and hot dogs will also be available but only from 5 to 7.
The crawfish for Cooking in Central is being donated by Gil Matherne and Carlton Seafood. The Louisiana Seafood Association is donating oysters and shrimp.
Food tickets are being sold at all Central schools and at Ross Tire & Service. They will also be sold at the event itself.
This year, Cooking will feature the popular band Chee Weez, which will play from 6 to 10 p.m.
Entertainment for children will include pony rides, the Central Fire Department Smoke House, BREC activities, and the foam machine.
Once again, there will be live auctions and raffles, although there will no longer be a $10,000 raffle. The auctions will likely be in two parts — 5:30 to 6 p.m. and again starting at 8:30 p.m.
Cooking in Central T-shirts are being sold at all Central schools. The T-shirts are donated, and all of the proceeds are kept by the respective schools.
Other funds raised by the event will go to Central schools, the Central Athletic Foundation, Cast Iron Assistance, and Central Community Assistance Foundation.
The Central Athletic Foundation has been systematically making improvements to the athletic facilities used by athletes in the Central school system. Last year, Cooking in Central helped the Foundation make extensive improvements to the Central High Gym. The Foundation hopes to build a covered pavilion between the baseball and softball fields at the high school.
Cast Iron Assistance helps in Central as well as in Louisiana and neighboring states when there is a disaster. They helped in Houston and in North Carolina after flooding there.
The Central Community Assistance Foundation helps homeless children and others in need in Central.
Volunteers are still needed for Cooking in Central. If you’d like to help, contact Cooking in one of the following ways:
• www.cookingincentral.com
• info@cookingincentral.com
• Louis DeJohn at 933-0059 or
• Juanita Ross at 938-1753
The history of Cooking in Central began after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Central’s Louis DeJohn and a number of contractors and unions wanted to help first responders in New York City. They held a giant cookoff and raised enough money to purchase two brand-new fire engines for the NYFD.
Shortly after the City of Central was founded, Katrina hit Louisiana, causing devastation on the Gulf Coast. People in Central wanted to help a community like ours, and they picked St. Bernard Parish. Schools there had been destroyed along with all but two school buses. Cooking for Our Neighbors raised $190,000 to purchase three new school buses for the St. Bernard school system.
Since then, Cooking in Central has continued, finding new needs and new areas of service every year.
It has been a way for the people of Central to give of themselves and help others in need.
After Central was devastated by the Great Flood of 2016, it was amazing to watch communities all over America come to Central’s aid.

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