Roadfood Festival

Held annually in the French Quarter in March, the Roadfood Festival honors the inexpensive foods and regional meals found all over the United States. Bringing all these tasty, often simple-to-make dishes from around the country to New Orleans – renowned the world over for its culinary reputation – the event offers a sample of everything from Maine lobster and Texas barbecue to Cajun and Creole cuisine from some of Louisiana's funkiest roadside joints.

The Roadfood Festival was created by Roadfood.com, a web site dedicated to its namesake which it describes as "informal and inexpensive food served by locals along highways, in small towns and unique neighborhoods." Steering away from franchises and fancy, upscale restaurants, roadfood is customarily made in roadside diners and small, independently owned dining establishments by cooks, bakers, pitmasters and sandwich-makers who are culinary folk artists. Roadfood can include everything from waffles and barbecue to boudin and burgers.

Most of the festival takes place on Royal Street and it averages more than 30,000 visitors. In previous years, nearly 50 restaurants representing four states and eight cities participated in the street festival and weekend events, and the festival continues to grow each year.

The Roadfood Festival is a joint venture of Roadfood.com and the New Orleans Convention Company. For more information on the event, visit the festival's website at www.neworleansroadfoodfestival.com.