Ty Boudoin and Sherdell Landry held their fifth annual “Anything Goes” cookoff and St. Jude’s Benefit at Pelicans on the Bayou Saturday, Feb. 3.

Boudoin previously held the event at his old bar, the Quarter Tavern, but after a change in ownership and an expanding attendance, he decided to partner with Warren and Sandy Gachassin, owners of Pelicans on the Bayou, to bring the competition to the larger venue. This was a fortunate move, Boudoin said, as it rained throughout the day of the competition, and the Quarter Tavern’s limited indoor space would have made bringing the event indoors difficult.

Unfortunately, the rain limited attendance of the event by both guests and competitors. According to Warren, they originally planned to have 30 teams set-up in tents surrounding the business, but they ended up with 13. Boudoin also said attendance was lower than previous years, but attributed it both to the change in venue and the rain.

The teams served a wide variety of dishes, from jambalaya, to gumbo, to chicken and dumpling soup, to hamburgers and many things in between. Third place winners were Nick Peltier and Brock Broussard, second place were Seth Boudreaux and Jason McLean, and first place were Butch Bourgeois and Ray Duplechain.

Following the announcement of winners, Boudoin invited Brennon and Mckenzie Robicheaux on stage to explain the importance of St. Jude’s Hospital. Their daughter, Eliza, developed Retinoblastoma, a form of childhood eye cancer. When they brought her to St. Jude, they found tumors in both her right and left eyes. She underwent 11 rounds of chemotherapy at a facility in Memphis. Through this dark, uncertain period, one light shined through: St Jude.

“We walked into the doors and it is just beautiful, it’s bright and everybody is welcoming. The oncologist looked at me and she said, ‘This is hard, but it’s not your fault.’ The question was asked of me earlier, is St. Jude really what they say it is, and it absolutely is,” Mckenzie Robicheaux said.

They never had to pay for a single chemotherapy treatment, surgery or examination. While there, they fed them in their cafeteria and even reimbursed their cost of gas for the trip up.

“They told us the only thing we had to worry about was Eliza, and that’s all we worried about, so we are thankful for St. Jude and the people who give to St. Jude so that we have Eliza,” Mckenzie Boudreaux said.

Last year, they decided to have her right eye removed, as it never had vision to begin with. As a result, Eliza’s left eye has been tumor-free since November of 2021, and her right eye socket has been free of tumors since the removal. Boudreaux said it wasn’t an easy decision, but it was the best decision for Eliza’s overall health.

Brennon Robicheaux, on the other hand, highlighted the good St. Jude does for other children across the country. Even for the families whose child fought for many years, but didn’t make it, they are still thankful that St. Jude gives them extra time with their child.

“Like us, you might want to know where your money is going to, but we can promise you that the money that your donation is going to is a great cause,” Brennon Robicheaux said.

After the moving speech, Boudoin held an auction for participants to buy a variety of items including 22-tons of limestone, a vacation to Destin Florida and a jambalaya dinner for 50 people. This auction raised several thousand dollars for St. Jude. After the auction, local band Cajun Company entertained the crowd.

Over the past four years, the event has raised over $100,000 for St. Jude, and Boudoin said he has no plan to stop or slow it down as the years continue.