By LINDA CHION KENNEY
The annual crawfish festival in Riverview has become a family tradition for Michael Broussard, drawing from his childhood days in the Vermilion Parish of Louisiana to his grown-up days as a long-time member of the Rotary Club of FishHawk-Riverview.
It was Broussard, who, along with club member Elijah Heath, first pitched the idea for a club crawfish festival fundraiser, which debuted with 800 pounds of crawfish, straight from the bayous of Louisiana.
Crawfish, in short supply this year due to a drought in Louisiana, is the main draw for Rotary’s April 13 crawfish festival in Riverview.
Now, the 14th annual Crawfish Festival is scheduled for Saturday, April 13, at Founders Square Park at Winthrop Town Centre in Riverview, set to serve 2,000 pounds of fresh crawfish. Rain or shine, the five-hour event, featuring craft beer and music by Den of Thieves, will kick off at 11 a.m. “I didn’t know the festival would go on this long, but the growth that we’ve had over the years has just been amazing to see,” Broussard said, in an interview after the club’s Monday meeting. “We started out raising about $10,000 a festival. Now, we’re raising upwards of $40,000 or more.”
Proceeds from the festival, which organizers say typically draws 2,000 to 3,000 attendees, benefit high school scholarships and local charities the Rotary club supports.
“The community loves coming out to the festival, and we get new people and returning guests every year,” said Rotarian Christine Ans, who’s not a fan of crawfish, actually. “I don’t like peeling crawfish, but I absolutely love the crawfish etouffee,” also on the menu, along with gumbo, pulled pork sandwiches, hamburgers, hot dogs and Broussard’s dirty rice.
“The etouffee is the bomb,” said Rotarian Christopher Jones, describing it as “creamy, spicy and Cajun in a dish.” The festival overall, he added, shows what a growing club with a big heart can do on a grand scale, however taxing it might be.
“Also playing a part are community businesses, both with sponsorships and in-kind donations,” Jones said, “and we’re extremely thankful to Chris Ligori & Associates, attorneys at law, for its continuing title sponsorship.”
Broussard said this year’s festival is especially important for crawfish lovers.
“The crawfish is difficult to find right now around the Tampa Bay area, especially this year, with the prices being this high and the season starting late because of the drought in Louisiana,” Broussard explained. “Production has been cut in half.”
Nevertheless, with lifelong ties to the bayous of Louisiana, Broussard said he is able to get crawfish for the festival “because of my connections with one of my high school friends who owns D and T Crawfish out of Abbeville, Louisiana, a wholesale crawfish company.”
Despite a higher price tag this year, the payoff is worth it, given the “pond to pot” draw of fresh crawfish from Louisiana, harvested the night before the festival’s start, Broussard said.
The crawfish dinner this year sells for $25 and includes two pounds of crawfish with corn and potatoes. “Still reasonable and still your best bet for fresh crawfish in Tampa Bay,” Broussard said.
The cost is $8 for crawfish etouffee, which Broussard said is a French word meaning “smothered.” With vegetables drenched in a “creamy type of soup served over rice,” the etouffee features crawfish tail meat, “already peeled, no work involved,” Broussard said. “All you have to do is eat it.”
As for Broussard’s dirty rice, it’s ground meat with vegetables and spices served over rice. “I make it from scratch,” Broussard said. “It’s a good alternative for people who don’t like seafood.”
Linda Chion Kenney Photos
From left, FishHawk-Riverview Rotarians Christine Ans, Christopher Jones, Michael Broussard, Barbara Howard and Deborah Amlaw, holding flyers for the 14th annual crawfish festival.
Food is a passion for Broussard, who learned to cook by watching his mother and grandparents busy in the kitchen. He said he started cooking in restaurants at age 16 and cooked for a friend who had parties at his bar for Monday night football.
Broussard opened his own restaurant at age 25.
“It’s in my blood,” Broussard said. “The best part of cooking for me is watching people eat the food I cook and really enjoy it.”
As for his Rotarian life, “I joined the club to raise money for charities in need in the Riverview area,” Broussard explained.
“But now, it’s become my family, and it satisfies my servant’s heart.”
For more on crawfish festival menu offerings, advance orders, sponsorship opportunities and club meeting details, visit www.luvcrawfish.com/. The club meets monthly for lunch and is open to new members.