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Kajun Kettle Foods Joins Forces with Chef Relief after Hurricane Katrina
New Orleans, September 14, 2005 - Kajun Kettle Foods President Pierre Hilzim joined forces with the Chef Relief Organization to feed thousands of Hurricane Katrina rescue workers and shelter victims. As recovery efforts got underway, the food manufacturing facility, located 15 minutes from New Orleans, became “home” to ten + chefs, Kajun Kettle employees and owner Pierre Hilzim. The facility’s USDA industrial kitchen fired up its ovens at 2AM each morning in preparation for the mass feedings…
Kajun Kettle Feeds the Body and Soul of New Orleans In the Days Following Hurricane Katrina
Kajun Kettle Foods, serving the greater New Orleans area for twenty-four years, is back in business. Katrina halted production for a couple of weeks just after the storm devastated southern Louisiana and the Mississippi and Alabama coasts. Immediately after the storm, Kajun Kettle teamed up with the national organization Chef Relief to establish a production area that can produce up to 60,000 meals per day.
“We are honored to team up with Chef Relief to feed Police, National Guard, healthcare and rescue workers, and supply Shelter operators with thousands of meals a day,” says Pierre Hilzim, president of Kajun Kettle Foods.
Kajun Kettle is an award-winning kettle cook operation producing quality soups, sauces and marinades for premier free-standing restaurants and restaurant chains nationwide. Its president, Pierre Hilzim, originated the world-famous Jazz Fest dish Crawfish Monica®. Crawfish Monica® is a national trademark owned by Kajun Kettle Foods, Inc®. It is the largest-selling dish at Jazz Fest, an event that attracts over 600,000 people from all over the world to its 7 day annual festival.
Kajun Kettle’s electrical power was restored by Entergy five days after the storm. After getting full clearance from state health, FDA and USDA officials, Kajun Kettle resumed full production once again with many of its key employees back on board. Its location in the Elmwood area, due west of New Orleans, has allowed it to continue receiving ingredients and dispatching orders to its ongoing loyal customers, located both in the New Orleans metro area and throughout the country. The plant has become the temporary home for some Kajun Kettle employees, as well as its President Pierre Hilzim and the Chef Relief volunteers.
With help from many generous contributors including Quiznos Subs, who sent a semi tractor trailer down from Denver, Colorado full of luncheon meats, Kajun Kettle continues to work with Chef Michael Morrison, Chef Henry Cortez and many others from Chef Relief to feed needy groups throughout the city and the gulf coast areas.
For immediate employment opportunities with excellent working conditions and benefits, please contact Kajun Kettle at 1-800-331-9612.
“We are looking forward to a bright future for our company and the entire Metro New Orleans Area. See you at the 2006 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival,” says Hilzim.
- Posted September 14, 2005
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