The first set of Golden Fork Society Dinners are over. Take a look at what you missed.

Every year the Prize Foundation hosts the Society of the Golden Fork Dinner Series that allows the community to come try unique dinners from local chefs. These aren't just any dinners, the 12 selected chefs are competing to be chosen as one of the six finalists for Prize Fest's Come and Get It competition in October.

"We are so proud of what the Food Prize has been able to accomplish for our city's culinary culture," said Prize Foundation Founder and Executive Director Gregory Kallenberg. "These chefs are shining stars, and we look forward to them creating a beacon that helps make Shreveport-Bossier into a nationally renowned food city!"

Take a look at what you missed at the Spring session of the Golden Fork Society Dinners:

Chef Ryan Gillespie - Bossier Parish School for Technology and Innovative Learning

Chef Gillespie kicked off the session at Accents by John Strand. Gillespie has over 20 years of experience with over 10 years as Executive Chef in casinos, including The Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Harrah's and more. Currently, he trains future chefs and culinarians at BPSTIL.

His dinner began as a mystery with no menu on the table and left guests with the fun task of discussing each dish with their tablemates to try and decipher each course.

• First Course:
  • A tuna tartare with a siracha chip.
• Second Course:
  • A twist on a classic tomato basil soup with elements of a BLT that included smoky, crispy bacon and a basil drizzle.
• Third Course:
  • An arugula salad with fresh and dried strawberries, candied cinnamon and cayenne pecans, pickled onions, goat cheese and a strawberry foam.
• Fourth Course:
  • A crab cake served over creamy, cheesy grits.
• Fifth Course:
  • A confit duck leg over a puree of butternut squash and a sauce of au just and cherries.
• Sixth Course:
  • A palate cleanser of a limoncello sorbet.

• Seventh Course:
  • Sliced beef with a demi glaze made with a cabernet reduction served with blue cheese scalloped potatoes with a cream sauce.
• Eighth Course:
  • A deconstructed s'more with roasted marshmallows, Hershey's chocolate and graham cracker crumbles served in a smoke-filled jar.

Chef Anthony Felan - Owner and Executive Chef of Fat Calf Brasserie

Chef Felan is a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in San Francisco. His love for Louisiana and family is what brought him back home in 2010 where he joined the Wine Country Bistro as its Executive Chef. In 2019, he and his wife Amanda opened Fat Calf Brasserie which is a farm-fresh and slow food concept with a French influence that Felan is well known for.

Felan's dinner took place at Fat Calf Brasserie.

• First Course:
  • A Kombu cured scallop crudo served over a cantaloupe sorbet, pickled serrano pepper, petite cilantro and a lemon chili vinaigrette.
• Second Course:
  • An aromatic butter-poached halibut with a fava bean emulsion, pea tendrils and a grapefruit salad.
• Third Course:
  • A Vadouvan rotisserie chicken served alongside duck fat fried rice and a coconut curry velouté.

• Fourth Course:
  • A miso braised smoked short rib with pickled mushrooms and a spiced heirloom carrot purée.
• Fifth Course:
  • An Ube panna cotta with blackberries, popping pearls and a vanilla bean espuma.

Chef Chris Hayes - Executive Chef at The Smoking Oyster

Chef Hayes is a culinary consultant and an entrepreneur with a heart for the community. He was born in Shreveport and fell in love with cooking by watching his elders joyfully prepare food for family gatherings while growing up. Hayes began his career in the culinary industry at 15 working as a dishwasher at a local pizza restaurant. He graduated from Grambling State University and completed his training at the Culinary Arts program at Louisiana Technical Community College.

Hayes went on to work in several Northwest Louisiana top hotels, restaurants and gaming venues before accepting an executive chef position in New Orleans. In January 2017, he won the hit Food Network show "Cooks vs. Cons."

Hayes' dinner took place at the Shreveport Aquarium and was accompanied by a live saxophone performance.

• First Course:
  • A golden fried oyster drizzled with hollandaise sauce, topped with crispy pancetta and paired with a fresh fruit-infused pineapple watermelon mimosa.

• Second Course:
  • Fried crawfish tails atop a crawfish cornbread muffin and served over étouffée.
• Third Course:
  • A refreshing basil, mint and watermelon salad with feta and a balsamic reduction.
• Fourth Course:
  • A zesty, refreshing limoncello sorbet.
• Fifth Course:
  • A red wine braised short rib with smoked jambalaya and braised greens.
• Sixth Course:
  • A southern bread pudding with Crown apple caramel and topped with vanilla bean ice cream.

Chef Robyne Moore - Chef at Island Vibes

Chef Moore serves up authentic Jamaican cuisine with her mobile restaurant Island Vibes. She attributes her unique palate to being brought up in a diverse New Jersey neighborhood. Moore delivered pre-made meals until she stumbled upon a Farmers Market where she set up a full kitchen. She moved back to Monroe, LA three weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic when she found out her daughter was pregnant.

Soon, she found a home in the Milam Street Kitchen Incubator & Community Kitchen (MSKICK) in Shreveport where she prepared meals for the community before moving on to her current food truck Island Vibes.

Moore's dinner took place at the Shreveport Aquarium and included a steel drum performance. All of the dishes were served on fully compostable dishes.

• First Course:
  • A tropical rum spritzer served with crispy jerk seasoned chickpeas.
• Second Course:
  • A jerk slider served with plantain fries along with an avocado dip and spicy ketchup.
• Third Course:
  • BBQ jerk rib tips and BBQ jerk brisket skewers with guava BBQ sauce, island baked beans, Caribbean slaw and fresh pickles.
• Fourth Course:
  • Jamaican fried chicken served alongside collard greens, pickled scotch bonnet peppers and red onions and five cheese baked macaroni and cheese with pineapple cornbread.

• Fifth Course:
  • A trio of coconut cream banana pudding, mango icebox pie on a ginger snap crust and a bread pudding with vanilla rum butter sauce.

Chef Dylan Teekell - Co-Chef at Ghost Ramen

Chef Teekell comes from a family of restauranteurs in Shreveport but has carved his own path working back of house in many local eateries before teaming up with Chef Jon Ortiz at The Nobel Savage Tavern. Following their success with ramen nights at Noble Savage, the pair started Ghost Ramen which opened a food truck at The Lot in downtown Shreveport. In 2022, Ghost Ramen started a residency at Stray Cat downtown where it currently operates Thursday - Saturday with late-night hours.

Teekell's dinner took place at Accents by John Strand and custom cocktails and drink pairings were served with each course.

• First Course:
  • A cold smoked oyster with compressed watermelon mignonette.
• Second Course:
  • Smoked pork belly tartine with braised peach and collard slaw, hot sauce gastrique and served on a brioche crostini.

• Third Course:
  • Smoked redfish court Boullion with charred pearl onion, blistered heirloom cherry tomatoes and rouille sauce.
• Fourth Course:
  • Pork tenderloin Tasso mosaic salad with a tomato confit with a roasted corn coulis and an arugula salad.
• Fifth Course:
  • Osso buco with jambalaya arancini with wilted broccolini and au jus.
• Sixth Course:
  • Tobacco black-eyed pea ice cream with dehydrated black-eyed peas.

Chef Val Benn - Owner / Executive Chef of The Pearl

Chef Benn jokes that when she married her wife, she had no idea how to cook. All of that changed when her wife encouraged her to go to culinary school and now, she's a soon-to-be restaurant owner. Benn served as the head chef at The Noble Savage in downtown Shreveport before deciding to open her own restaurant at the old La Madeleine coming in July called The Pearl.

Benn's dinner took place at the Shreveport Aquarium and the menu was a sneak preview of the one she will have at The Pearl.

• First Course:
  • A Bloody Mary oyster topped with pickled okra and a dill pickle caviar and a Bloody Mary chaser.
• Second Course:
  • Black-eyed pea hummus with a tomato relish and collard green pesto served on a chicken crackling.
• Third Course:
  • A crab ball served on top of a crawfish sauce with a microgreens garnish.
• Four Course:
  • Prickly pear sorbet on top of freeze-dried white chocolate, cinnamon and gold flake sand.

• Fifth Course:
  • Asian five-spice duck confit served with fried enoki mushrooms and kimchi on top of saffron aioli.
• Sixth Course:
  • A snickerdoodle blondie topped with goat cheese and served over a shard of white chocolate and with a scoop of salted caramel gelato.

The Spring session concluded on Wednesday, May 24 and the Summer session will begin on Friday, June 9. There are still limited seats available for the Summer session and they can be purchased at the Prize Fest website.

Meredith G. White is the arts and culture reporter for the Shreveport Times. You can find her on Facebook as Meredith G. White, on Instagram and Twitter as @meredithgwhite, and email her at mgwhite@gannett.com.