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The Daily iberian caught up with Emily Trahan, owner of the new Emily Katherine boutique in Bayou Landing, not to talk clothes, but to talk cooking. Emily, among her other interests, is a grilling and smoking champion several times over.

DI: So, Emily, how did you get started cooking?

ET: I learned my skills on the pit from my dad, James Trahan (also a championship grillmaster and cook). I watched him cook competitively in the cookoffs in City Park and such the whole time I was little, and I helped him. He looked around and found some competitions for kids, he asked if I wanted to do it, and that is how it started. (As a result, Emily has been cooking competitively all over the United States since she was eight years old.)

DI: Sounds like a perfect daddy-daughter activity. What do you like to cook?

ET: My favorites to cook on the grill are chicken, pork chops, hamburgers and steaks. Mainly because it was a steak when I won the Grand Champion in Kansas City.

DI; Grand champion — Tell us more.

ET: It was the KC Masterpiece American Royal Barbecue Championship in 2015. I won Grand Champion for a steak I did. It was so exciting!

DI: What kind of steak was it?

ET: It was a New York Strip, they provided the meat, and I did the grilling.

DI: Sounds delicious. What other dishes do you enjoy cooking?

ET: Mostly, I like to grill and smoke meats — boneless chicken thighs, brisket, and, of course, steaks.

DI: Have you retired from competitive cooking?

ET: Well, I wouldn’t say I’m retired, but I’ve been very busy with other things, like finishing high school and college — I graduated from Nicholls University in pre-dental hygiene. It has been four or five years since I’ve competed, though.

 

DI: Do you have a specialty dish you put on the grill?

ET: I do have a duck breast I like to grill, stuffed with bacon and cream cheese.

DI: When you’re not at the grill, what do you cook?

ET: Well, my dad and I have cooked etouffee and jambalaya together.

DI: And away from the kitchen?

ET: Oh, you’ll probably find me at my new boutique, Emily Katherine, in the Bayou Landing shopping center. We’re open Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.