Amanda Cusey, the Louisiana Seafood Queen, has a dirty little secret: she doesn’t like oysters.
Cusey is the executive chef at Lake Area Adventures’ The Terrace, and in 2022, despite her distaste for oysters, Cusey was crowned Queen of Seafood. She was the second woman to ever hold the title, which she landed after competing in the Annual Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off.
Cusey says she didn’t know the contest was a big deal. She just “thought it sounded cool.” Soon after arriving at the competition and realizing it was a bigger deal than she anticipated, she got nervous.
“I showed up with a big ol’ rainbow mohawk and got to work. I didn’t expect to win. I mean, I knew I had a solid dish, but when I won, I was so shocked I accidentally cursed,” she says.
Cusey won with her pan-seared red drum over tomato polenta with crawfish cream sauce.
As a result of her new title, doors opened, and she was afforded new, exciting opportunities. The experience was a career booster. “If anyone gets the opportunity to compete, I recommend it,” she says. “It was a blast.”
Cusey has since entered dishes into other competitions like The World Food Championship, where she landed in the top 10 with both her savory bread pudding and Brussel sprouts. She makes sure to attend the Woodland’s Food and Wine week every year, which she says is a great opportunity to interact with others and meet new people. “I love the comradery between the chefs.”
Cusey’s been cooking for 22 years. She received formal training at Tante’ Marie Culinary Academy, held in a small home in Surrey, England. “It’s a Cordon Bleu school affiliated with Gordon Ramsay,” she says. “I loved culinary school because I got to spend all day either cooking or working on cooking theory. It was like a vacation.”
She chose the school because the program was a quick one. “I wasn’t a very good student in grade school, so I was trying to avoid a prolonged, two-year course,” she says. Not to mention she already had cooking experience in a variety of kitchens and was simply looking to level up the opportunities available to her.
Cusey was raised in Flagstaff, Ariz., but later moved to Florida and then North Carolina before following her parents overseas. “My grandmother was born in Ireland. So, I have dual citizenship,” she says. “It’s beautiful. The pace of life is different than it is here — faster.” While living in Ireland, she worked in Eddy Rockets, an American diner which she describes as “just barely a step above fast food.”
She says every chef she’s ever worked under has been impressive and contributed to her current skillset. “I remember there was this chef I worked with named Richie. He was such a badass. He burnt himself and ended up with blisters on his hands. He popped them and then went right back to work. It was intimidating and impressive.”
Cusey is close to her parents, who now live in Southwest Louisiana, and her brother, who still lives with his family in Ireland. Her brother has a six-year-old daughter, and she visits his family at least twice a year.
“The people are fantastic there. I love the culture,” she says. How was the food? She says when she goes back, she wonders how she ever got used to it. “The food is so very bland.”
Cusey’s parents worked quite a bit when she was a kid, so she grew up eating her fair share of Hamburger Helper, but her mom loved steak. “I’ve been eating my steak medium rare since I was a little kid,” she says.
Cusey’s been working in and around restaurants since she was a teenager. She started bussing tables at a golf course, then transitioned into dishwashing and serving tables. “I spent quite a bit of time as a front of house employee, but then I got sick of people,” she says, only half joking.
Cusey said her time as a server was invaluable. It meant she knew the menu and knew what food was meant to look like. “I loved working in the kitchen. It came naturally to me. I loved the fast pace.
“You know, people think chefs cook these great, elaborate meals for themselves. That’s usually not the case.” She does admit she’s been cooking herself those medium rare steaks quite a bit lately but says that’s only a result of the work/life balance she’s afforded at The Terrace. “This is the first job I’ve ever had that allows me to have a normal life. I don’t need to be here for dinner service every single night.”
One of her favorite menu items at The Terrace is the Crawfish Mac. The dish is crawfish and a three-cheese mustard-based cream sauce tossed with penne pasta topped with parmesan breadcrumbs. Another favorite is the Seafood Lasagna, which she assembles using asparagus, broccoli, mozzarella, crawfish, gulf shrimp, creole cream sauce and white wine cream sauce.
“Tim and I are very similar, and that can sometimes lead to us butting heads, but he’s fair. Plus, he’s always open to new ideas, which is great,” she says about Terrace owner Tim Robles.
Cusey starts her mornings checking sales numbers from the previous night. She turns on all of the equipment and begins prepping, runs lunch service, makes runs to the store if needed, and then sets up for night shift.
“Butter makes it better” is the cooking commandment she lives by. A clean, organized work station is also important to her. “It makes for a smoother service when the person who comes after you knows where to find the things they need,” she explains.
Cusey has a soft spot for Italian cuisine and was able to work under Brendan Ward at Fiorentina in Dublin, where she eventually became head chef. She also spent time working with Michelin Star chef Oliver Dunne and spent five years as the executive chef at Villa Harlequin.
When she’s not in the kitchen, she runs a dog rescue. “It keeps me pretty occupied. I live in a 500-square-foot cabin and I have six dogs,” she says. Two of the dogs are inside with her. She lives out in Chadwater, which means all she has to do is walk out her back door and the nature lover is on the water. “I love to take the boat out, fish, kayak and hike.”
Death row meal? “It’s hard to pick a final meal because I like tapas,” she says. So, she’s taking a couple bites of lobster, filet mignon with sauce, short ribs, tilefish and super-rich, garlicky mashed potatoes. For dessert, she’ll have a few bites of anything custard based. “Lemon meringue, maybe?” she says. She’d also like an assortment of ice cream. Top it all off with a coconut basil gimlet prepared with vodka instead of gin, please.
“I really want people to understand The Terrace is not just for kids. We have events. There’s a completely separate entrance, and the food isn’t concession stand food.”
The Terrace hosts karaoke nights and bingo nights and often has live music and happy hour specials. For more information visit the restaurant’s Facebook page.
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