A Willa Jean Chef Is Competing in the Coney Island July 4 Hot Dog Eating Contest

FOOD COMPETITIONS — Willa Jean cook Adrian Morgan is heading to Coney Island to compete in the annual Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4. He’s a serious competitive eater on the side of his work at the bakery/cafe, holding the world record for eating the most hard-boiled eggs. Take that Cool Hand Luke. [WDSU]

EVENTWIRE — The Al Copeland Foundation is hosting its third annual Chicken Jam on July 6 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., a fundraiser for the LSU cancer center, at the UNO Lakefront Arena. Al Copeland, Sr. died of a rare cancer in his early 60s. Ian McNulty sat down with Al Copeland, Jr. to get the entire story. Tickets and info here. [ADVOCATE]

CRAWFISH WIRE — China loves crawfish — and they have the Japanese to thank for it. Though there’s a myth that the Japanese brought them to China to clear decaying Chinese corpses, the first crawfish landed in China when the Japanese released their pet crawfish after the war. [South China Morning Post]

REPORTS — New Orleans has tons of restaurants, but that doesn’t stop new ones from opening. Why do they enter the already crowded restaurant scene and how can they survive? [ADVOCATE]

FOOD TV — While Bravo’s Southern Charm: New Orleans “offered little to locals other than indigestion, it did present us with the sass of New Orleans’ private cook, Mr. Benny Poppins.” Kristen Froeba chats with the chef, Benjamin Levasseur, who had to cook a contrived dinner party on a swamp tour amid the mosquitos. [UPTOWN MESSENGER]

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