King Of Seafood

Chef Alex Eaton Takes Crown at Great American Seafood Cook-off.

- Susan Marquez

He may not be king of the world, not yet, anyway, but Alex Eaton has certainly earned his crown as the National Seafood King, which he won at the Great American Seafood Cook-Off in New Orleans. Started by the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board in 2004, the competition has drawn the top chefs in the nation over the years to compete for the title.

Eaton’s journey to the title began with an email invitation to participate in the Mississippi Seafood Marketing State Championship in Gulfport. “I signed up to participate, but I almost backed out,” recalled Eaton. “The competition was scheduled for Thursday, May 26, and my wife was due to give birth to our second child any day.”

Then there was his work. As chef-owner of The Manship Wood fired Kitchen in Jackson, Eaton said when he signed up for the competition he had anticipated it being a slow time at the restaurant. “That’s a time of the year when we traditionally slow down, but we’ve ended up having our busiest year yet.”