1. We Heart Veterans’ 1st Annual Battle of the Shores Beer & Brat Cook--Off &
Silent Auction Raises over $15 Thousand To Help Local Veterans
October 28, 2015⎯On Saturday, October 24th, We Heart
Veterans, a non-‐profit 501(c)(3) organization that provides
support and home care services to Veterans and widows of
Veterans, hosted its 1st Annual Battle of the Shores fundraiser at
Breaux Mart Magazine in New Orleans, Louisiana. This year’s
event brought together supporters, clients, organization funders
and staff for an exciting day, which included a cook-‐off/brew-‐off
competition and silent auction.
This year’s event featured 10 teams from the North and South
Shore battling it out in 4 categories. Chafunkta Brewing Company won Best Beer category with their true-‐to-‐style
traditional Irish Red, “Bayou Blaze,” an easy drinking beer with caramel malt & slight roast flavors.
Chef Travis Johnson, Executive Chef of Sodexo won Best Brat category with his seasoned Louisiana pork sausage served
with a 40 Arpent stout infused Creole mustard, saffron oil, local figs and dolce Gorgonzola on a toasted butter baguette.
Best Pairing of a Beer and Brat category was awarded to Mudbug Brewery for their Oktoberfest, a smooth, rich
European style Amber lager that starts with malty sweetness and finishes dry and light with notes of caramel, teamed
with Chef Brian Mottola, Chef de Cuisine of NOLA Restaurant in New Orleans
and his brat served with a smoked cheddar fondue on a salted pretzel roll.
Another South Shore team walked away as the winners of the “People’s Choice
Overall Winner” category; Chef Travis Johnson and 40 Arpent Brewing
Company with their Duckweed IPA, a Gulf Coast style India Pale Ale that begins
with hints of spicy herbal goodness followed by a nice citrus finish.
“We are so honored and blessed. The generosity of our guests and sponsors, as
well as the dedication of our volunteers was what made this event such a
success. The Chefs and Brewers spent many days together pouring over every
single detail to produce the most incredible creations for our event; I have
never witnessed truer masters at work,” said John Sutton, Volunteer Director. “I cannot thank everyone enough for their
selflessness in serving our Veterans, and vowing never to forget the sacrifice they made for us.”
This year’s Battle of the Shores was made possible by the following Corporate sponsors: reLogistics, Lockheed Martin,
Sutton, Alker & Rather, LLC, Paretti Family Dealerships, The Ryan Foundation, Erichson Company, as well as local
businesses, The Rusty Nail, Garrity Print Solutions, Pot-‐O-‐Gold Waste Services, Breaux Mart Magazine and Nelson &
Bonnie Menard’s Kool Pigs.
Media Contact: Stacy Harter Cell: 501.837.2769 sharter@wehrtvets.org