A chef for a day! That was the title claimed by a Wynhoven resident.

Glenda Ferniz chose her “Shrimp Pasta Alfredo” to compete in the contest at West Jefferson Medical Center. It was that award-winning recipe that had people from all over the hospital and the community turning up to pull out their plates.

“The line kept coming,” said Ms. Glenda.

 “We had great sales on it,” said Ed Fleming the Dietary operations manager with Sodexo, the group that operates Café Jefferson.

Even though this isn’t the first time the hospital has held this contest, Fleming says that this one of the best turnouts he’s seen. 

“We are planning to have more of these,” said Fleming.

It was the first time that someone who doesn’t work at the hospital has won the contest, which is part of the hospital’s community outreach.

As for Ms. Glenda, she says, “I wanted to submit a recipe that was easy, quick and tasty.”

The nine-year resident of Wynhoven even received her very own chef’s jacket and hat.

It was customized to fit the chef-for-a-day, complete with her name embroidered on that jacket.

Fleming said that Ms. Glenda was just “tickled to death by the whole thing”. 

A bit of advice from Ms. Glenda about trying new things like entering a recipe contest, she says, “Go for it, and yes you can.”

Positive words from a woman who’s positively inspiring.

If you’re interested in making Ms. Glenda’s award-winning “Shrimp Pasta Alfredo”, we have the recipe!

Ingredients:

1lb. Angel hair spaghetti, cooked

1lb. Fresh (raw) shrimp, peeled & deveined

1 jar Bertoli Alfredo Sauce

1 bunch green onions, chopped & divided by color (white & green)

1 tsp. garlic, chopped

½ tsp. garlic powder

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. crab boil

¼ tsp. black pepper

Directions:

Saute’ shrimp and white part of green onions for a few minutes in a skillet in a tablespoon of butter. Add Alfredo sauce to skillet and add a little water. Add all other seasonings and simmer for about 20 minutes. Toss with cooked spaghetti and garnish with green part of onions. Serve with garlic bread and salad

Serves 4-6

If you’re feeding a crowd, Ms. Glenda says to just double or triple the ingredients as needed.

Christopher Homes, Inc. is the housing agency of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Founded in 1966, under the auspices of the Archdiocese’s Commission on Housing and Community Life, with a mandate to provide decent, affordable housing in our community, the agency has grown to become the premier manager of affordable senior housing in the Gulf Coast area.

Prior to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, Christopher Homes, Inc. was managing 25 properties which included over 2,500 apartments of senior HUD subsidized housing and one property of 200 apartments of HUD subsidized family housing.

Currently, Christopher Homes, Inc. manages 16 apartment complexes that house the elderly and those with physical disabilities in nearly 2,440 apartment units.