Crowdsource: Top Legal Chefs

No matter the setting—whether it’s in a courtroom or a kitchen—lawyers are bred to be competitive. So, when dozens of New Orleans Bar Association members got together for the group’s 13th Annual Bar & Grille competition, the participating firms made sure they brought their A-game.

“Our members do some incredible things. We’re accustomed to really good food here, and New Orleans eaters are known to be picky eaters, so it’s saying something with just how incredible the different dishes have been over the years,” says NOBA Executive Director Helena N. Henderson, who has served as a judge for the event. “One of the firm’s associates made bacon roses. I mean, bacon roses. These are guys in suits 90 hours a week, and the guy made bacon roses. People went crazy for them!”

The event awards prizes for best traditional dish, best cocktail, best dessert, crowd favorite, booth design, and team spirit, among many others, and celebrities from the local community are invited to tend bar and judge the competition. All proceeds from ticket sales support NOBA’s Public Interest Law Fellowship.

“It’s the first-of-its-kind fellowship in the country, and it provides a helpful boost to lawyers who want to devote their professional lives to providing legal services to the poor,” says Henderson. “Through the program, we recognize really bright lawyers who want to serve the public interest and the greater good in the New Orleans area.”