The first Southwest Louisiana Boudin Wars took place as part of the Great Acadian Awakening on Oct. 11 at the Lake Charles Civic Center. Within two hours, the public tasted, voted and cast more than 550 ballots to crown the Boudin Master of Southwest Louisiana.

The title of the Boudin Master went to Famous Foods, with Sonnier’s Sausage & Boudin coming in second, and The Sausage Link winning the third-place award.

“The response from the public was overwhelmingly positive. One thing is for sure; people love boudin, and that passion was evident during the Boudin Wars. All the participants pulled out the stops, and it was a fun time for everyone.

“The Southwest Louisiana Boudin Trail has also become a popular attraction to our culinary tourism promotions. It’s caught on with visitors, groups and media professionals looking for interesting, authentic stories,” said Shelley Johnson, executive director of the Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention & Visitors Bureau.

There were 12 boudin stops along the Southwest Louisiana Boudin Trail that competed for the title including Billedeaux’s Cajun Kitchen, B&O Kitchen & Grocery, Comeaux’s Cajun Gold, Famous Foods, Gillis Grocery & Café/Gillis Meat Market, Hollier’s Cajun Kitchen, Homsi’s Deli, Kat’s Kracklins/Cruz Café, Market Basket, Rabideaux’s Sausage Kitchen, The Sausage Link and Sonnier’s Sausage & Boudin.

For more information on the Southwest Louisiana Boudin Trail, stop by the Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention & Visitors Bureau for a BWoudin Trail brochure at 1205 N. Lakeshore Drive, Lake Charles, LA, call 337-436-9588 or log onto www.visitlakecharles.org/boudintrail.