‘Master Chef’ semi-finalist Reagan Sidney throwing an Essence Fest BBQ Party

NEW ORLEANS ( WGNO ) — A local chef, Reagan Sidney , who appeared on the national television show “Master Chef” is now cooking up a special barbecue dinner to celebrate the Fourth of July and Essence Fest.

“It is the Fourth of July, so you want to make sure that you get some good barbecue,” Sidney said.

And there just may be no one better to cook that barbecue than TV’s “Master Chef” semi-finalist. She competed on season 13 of the show and placed 4th.

“We’ve elevated the barbecue to a different level today,” she said.

Guests for Essence Fest can eat up this good barbecue at her “Lin Noir BBQ Experience” Thursday night at Fire House Loft on Magazine Street in Uptown New Orleans.

“We are starting with a New Orleans classic, some barbecue shrimp. Then, we are moving on to watermelon salad. It has been grilled, chilled with shaved onions. The main course is the beef, the short rib, with corn mac choux and then my take on a potato salad,” Sidney said.

A lot of preparation goes into making this experience successful.

“I smoked the meat since six in the morning, so it is cooking,” she said.

The gourmet four-course dinner is presented by Draught Season , a lifestyle brand rooted in craft beer, and they’ve created a new one.

“It is a ‘Summer Sipper’ and we did it with Urban South Brewery. It is a pilsner, and we think barbecue and beer pair very well together. It is a nice, crisp beer,” Kevin Irvin with Draught Season said.

“Each of the courses that you’ll partake in today will have the beer in it in some way or some form. This isn’t your backyard barbecue. It is an elevated experience, that anybody that comes to Essence Fest wants to have. We are providing excellence,” Sidney stated.

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