Image by Flickr user geekgiant

Chef Mike Lata of FIG Restaurant is traveling to New Orleans this month to participate in a “friendly competition for a cause” at Cochon 555: “5 Pigs, 5 Chefs, 5 Winemakers,” the only national chef competition promoting heritage pigs and breed diversity.

Lata will join four other top chefs from around the south to prepare a heritage pigfrom head to toe for a dinner on Saturday, May 28th. In addition to the cooking competition, five family-owned wineries will showcase their wines.

Guests and professional judges at the event will determine a winner based on utilization, presentation and overall best flavor of the chefs’ dishes. The winner will have the opportunity to compete with other national winning chefs at Grand Cochon during the annual Food & Wine Classic in Aspen on June 19th.