Giant Omelette Celebration
Abbeville, LA
November 4-5, 2006

Just the name of this event makes me laugh. I first attended this event several years ago with a group of friends while on a roadtrip through south Louisiana. We were giggly and full of questions about what we would find at something called the Giant Omelette Celebration. It couldn't really be a giant omelette, could it? But yes, indeed. We witnessed the making of a giant omelette. Actually, it comes out more like scrambled eggs - but close enough.

In 1983, three citizens of Abbeville, LA (located about 25 miles southwest of Lafayette, LA) attended the Giant Omelette event in Bessieres, France. They returned home with the determination to bring Abbeville closer to its French heritage by hosting an omelette festival and joining the sisterhood of five cities who now celebrate the omelette.

According to legend, when Napoleon and his army were traveling through the south of France, they decided to rest for the night near the town of Bessieres. Napoleon feasted on an omelette prepared by a local innkeeper which was such a delight that he ordered the townspeople to gather all the eggs in the village and prepare a huge omelette for his army the next day.

The Giant Omelette Celebration is a two-day event, but the giant omelette is only cooked on Sunday. Both days provide a chance to wander around Magdalen Square where artisans display and sell original pieces. Booths present traditional folk art such as woodcarving, weaving and saddlemaking as well as contemporary art such as oil painting, jewelry, fused glass and metal sculpture. Half a dozen food booths on site sell great local fare such as alligator sauce piquante, duck and andouille gumbo, seafood fettuccini and seafood pies. You'll also have a chance to listen to some live Cajun music throughout the day.

On Sunday - the big day - things get underway with an Omelette Mass at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in the morning. The Procession of the Eggs starts after lunch. Local dignitaries and chefs parade from the church through town to the omelette cooking area, carrying baskets filled with the 5,000 eggs needed for the omelette. With giddy anticipation, spectators gather around the bonfire set up in the middle of the street as the 12-foot skillet is lowered by forklift over the fire. For the next hour or so, the crowd watches as the preparation of the Giant Omelette proceeds. The 5,000 eggs are cracked and added to the 52 pounds of butter. Chefs use 6-foot paddles as other ingredients are stirred into the mixture - 50 pounds of onions, 4 gallons of green onion tops, 75 chopped bell peppers, crawfish tails and spices.

When the time is right, portions are passed out to the public with dollops of TABASCO® brand Pepper Sauce sprinkled on top. Mmm- Mmm good.

2006 dates: November 4-5

Directions: From Lafayette, LA take LA Hwy. 167 south for about 20 miles. This will bring you directly into Abbeville to a dead end at Hwy. 14. Turn left onto Hwy. 14 and Magdalen Square will be about 3 blocks ahead.

For more information, call 337-893-2408 or visit www.giantomelette.org.

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Photography © Syndey Byrd
Story © Julie Posner