News

Press Release

Friday, July 10, 2020

‘Beignet Fest at Their Place’ Event Planned In Lieu of the 2020 Beignet Festival

Festival organizers pivot to continue charitable mission, support food vendorsand create an experience that people can enjoy this summer. 

NEW ORLEANS (July 10, 2020) – To accommodate social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic and continue its charitable mission of supporting children with special needs, Beignet Fest will host ‘Beignet Fest at Their Place’ at food vendor locations around New Orleans, Baton Rouge and on the Northshore July 24-26, 2020. In lieu of its annual fall festival traditionally held at City Park the first Saturday in October, organizers have worked closely with food vendors to offer a bonanza of beignet dishes all weekend long, spread out throughout the city.

“Our mission is too important and the funds we raise are too critical for children in New Orleans. So, we adapted what we could do in light of COVID-19 restrictions,” said Beignet Fest Co-Founder Sherwood Collins. “Our objective is to promote our food vendors in order to boost their business, keep people safe while giving them the opportunity to enjoy amazing beignets and to continue to raise money for our mission — everyone wins!”

Participating food vendors include: Loretta’s Authentic Pralines, Café Beignet, Coffee Rani, Howlin’ Wolf Den, Luca Eats, Off Da Hook Catering, Patton’s Caterers, Ruby Slipper Café, Sno-La Snowballs, Sweet Legacy and The Vintage (New Orleans and Baton Rouge). A full menu of beignet dishes offered by food vendors along with locations can be found at https://beignetfest.com/.

“As we’ve been planning the event for awhile now, we knew that challenges still may arise. Even though capacities are limited in New Orleans restaurants for safety concerns, we feel it’s even more imperative to patronize these establishments,” Collins added. “We want to help out our wonderful vendors and hope you will, too. Through mobile ordering, practicing social distancing at the establishment and wearing a mask to pick up your order, everyone can continue to enjoy our favorite fried dough safely and respectfully.”

To encourage fundraising, all food vendors will have paper “beignet logo dolls” available for patrons who donate to write a special tribute. Logo dolls will be displayed at food vendor locations throughout the weekend. People can also donate on the Beignet Fest website when viewing the food vendor menu. All proceeds will support local autism programs via grants made from the Tres Doux Foundation, the charitable arm of Beignet Fest.

In keeping with the competitive nature of the festival, patrons will have a chance to vote for their favorite sweet and savory beignet dishes at beignetfest.com. Winners will be announced following the event.

‘Beignet Fest at Their Place’ is presented by French Market Coffee, with additional support from Gulf Coast Bank, Gambel Communications, WWOZ-FM and The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate. For more information and updates, visit the Beignet Fest website.

About Beignet Fest: Beignet Fest celebrates New Orleans’s most iconic dessert: the beignet. From traditional sweet treats to savory delicacies that feature seafood, cheese and more. Proceeds from Beignet Fest benefit the Tres Doux Foundation, which makes grants to nonprofits serving children with developmental delays. For more information about Beignet Fest, visit www.beignetfest.com or connect with Beignet Fest on Facebook and Instagram at @BeignetFest. About Tres Doux Foundation: The mission of the Tres Doux Foundation is to celebrate, embrace and enhance the lives of children with developmental delays and disabilities by presenting them as whole beings, and to support organizations that do the same.