oil spill louisiana

Top Chef Judge Tom Colicchio Among Those Promoting Louisiana Seafood

Filed under: Dining

"Top Chef" judge and restaurateur Tom Colicchio was just one of a team of famous chefs from around the country who traveled to Grand Isle, Louisiana to tour the local waters. On Monday morning Colicchio pledged that he would continue to use Gulf seafood in his restaurants.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports that the Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board and John Folse a local chef and expert on Cajun cuisine put the event together to show some of the key influencers in the food world that that Louisiana seafood is still wholesome and safe to be consumed. The Louisiana fishing industry is at stake but many diners who have seen the images of oil spotted waters are reluctant to trust anything from the entire area. The local waters are being tested and patrolled to make sure that the seafood is safe to consume. Fishing has been shut down in some areas but most of the vast Gulf remains open and the seafood is untainted.

Still, many the impact has been huge in Louisiana where 1 in 70 jobs is tied to the state's seafood industry. Dallas-based chef Dean Fearing who attended the event said that he will donate proceeds raised at the third anniversary celebration for his restaurant, Fearing's, to Friends of the Fishermen Fund, a new charity for those fishers impacted by the oil spill.

Tags: BP oil disaster, bp oil spill, dean fearing, louisiana, louisiana fishing, Louisiana oil spill, oil spill, oil spill louisiana, Tom Colicchio, top chef

Kenneth Cole Cleans Up Well And You Can Too

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Charity

Designer Kenneth Cole is famous for his witty slogans, often used to raise attention for various social causes. Now he's taking his Kennethisms to T-shirts with a special custom T-shirt store on the Kenneth Cole Facebook page to help save the Gulf. Through the month of July 100% of net profits from the sale of the shirts will be donated to AWEARNESS, The Kenneth Cole Foundation to support the Gulf clean-up efforts. People visiting the site can mix and match 12 slogans, 14 colors, and various different graphic designs to create their own custom shirt. T-shirts retail for $35. "People everywhere need to get behind the Gulf cleanup efforts and by purchasing one of these custom T-shirts everybody can now look good by doing good," said Kenneth Cole.

Tags: cause t-shirt, kenneth cole, oil spill, oil spill cleanup, oil spill louisiana, oil spill update, oil spills

Saints Super Bowl Rings Handed Out, You Can Win One

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Sports

Women aren't the only ones who love little blue boxes from Tiffany's. The 2009 New Orleans Saints got their Super Bowl XLIV championship rings at a ceremony at the city's Roosevelt Hotel on Wednesday June 16. The rings were designed by Tiffany & Co. and feature a bunch of touches that resonate with fans of the Saints and their city. The rings are yellow gold and feature the New Orleans Saints fleur-de-lis logo set with round diamonds. The words "world champions" are set into the bezel of the ring with eight diamonds on each side (a total of 16 symbolizing the games the Saints won during the season). The rings also bear the score of the game, the NFL shield, images of the St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square and the Louisiana Superdome, a scene from the championship parade and the first few notes of the song "When The Saints Come Marching In." The underside of the ring bears inscriptions of team mottoes from last season: Be Special; Finish Strong; and Smell Greatness.

No precise estimate was given but they are believed to have a value of around $30,000 each. One ring wasn't there, it will be raffled off to raise money to benefit the relief efforts for the Gulf Coast oil spill. The winner will be announced at the nationally televised New Orleans Saints season opener on September 9, 2010. The winner will receive the ring and a cash prize in the amount of $2,178 to mitigate the winner's tax liability that results from winning the raffle. The proceeds benefit the New Orleans Saints Charitable Foundation and the Celebrities for Charity Foundation. Raffle tickets are $2 each with a minimum order of 5 tickets. The Saints organization hopes to raise as much as $1 million through the effort.

Tags: Gulf of Mexico oil spill, gulf oil spill, new orleans saints, oil spill, oil spill cleanup, oil spill louisiana, oil spill relief, super bowl, super bowl rings, tiffany, TiffanyAndCo, tiffanys

Gulf Resorts Offer Clean Beaches Guarantee

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

As the oil spill in the Gulf continues past day 40, the effects for the industries in Florida, Louisiana and other states are starting to mount up. Vacation resorts in Florida are getting proactive to reassure potential vacationers that they won't be seeing any oil slicks on the local beaches. As CNN reports many hotels are changing their cancellation policies and promising refunds in guests see oil on the beaches. The six properties operated by The Resort Collection of Panama City Beach has an oil-free beach guarantee and the company's Facebook page has an ad with the slogan "The only oil on our beach is suntan oil!"

In Alabama, oil-free beach guarantees have also slowed down the rate of cancellation. Royal Shell Vacations, the largest vacation rental company serving Sanibel and Captiva Islands, Florida, with more than 400 luxury homes and condominiums, has announced a provisional refund policy, the Royal Shell "Clean Beaches" Guarantee. Royal Shell Vacations will provide a proportionate refund to any rental clients should the City of Sanibel or Lee County authorities officially close either Sanibel or Captiva Islands beaches. Royal Shell Vacations will be providing daily or as-needed "Clean Beaches" updates on both its website and Facebook page.

In Louisiana the tourism outlook isn't so bright. The lure of traveling to Louisiana isn't relaxing on the beach, it's often activities like sportfishing. With oil washing ashore into Louisiana's marshes recreational fishing is at a standstill. Sadly, hotels are full, but with workers, journalists and others who are there because of the spill.

"

Tags: alabama, BP oil disaster, bp oil spill, clean beaches guarantee, florida, gulf oil spill, Louisiana, oil spill louisiana, oil spills