Cochon/Herbsaint chef Donald Link bringing local food to convention center

Not your average convention center fare: local foods highlighted at New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center's new concessions stands.

Convention center food tends to fall into the same class as airport and ballpark fare: fast, mediocre and overpriced. That’s no longer the case at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

Donald Link, chef/owner of Herbsaint and Cochon, has teamed up with national catering and hospitality outfit Centerplate to bring a taste of Louisiana to the Convention Center with five new concessions stands featuring local (and locally-sourced) foods.

A few of the offerings: gumbo and crawfish etouffee from Poche’s in Breaux Bridge; po-boy rolls from Dong Phuong Vietnamese Bakery in New Orleans East stuffed with Louisiana shrimp; bread from La Louisiana Bakery holding sausages and hot dogs made by New Orleans’ Chisesi Brothers using Link’s recipe, and sides like seasonal roasted vegetables and cucumber salad made with local produce.

It’s a move that makes sense for a city with such a rich culinary history and access to great local products, says Link.

“It seems like such an obvious thing to do,” Link said at a press conference introducing the new menus. “We’re showcasing our regional food to visitors, and local sourcing means the money stays local, too. It’s recurring business for local companies; the money is going back into Louisiana.”

Centerplate is the company behind concessions makeovers at a string of ballparks across the U.S., including the Seattle Mariner’s Safeco Field.

Disclosure: NewOrleans.com is owned by parties with an interest in the Link Restaurant Group.