United Way of St. Charles welcomed 290 teams to its 24th annual Battle for the Paddle on Oct. 1 at the Edward A. Dufresne Community Center in Luling. Teams competed in gumbo, jambalaya and pastalaya categories during the cook-off celebrating United Way’s annual fundraising campaign.
The event also recognized Lionel Irons Jr. as the recipient of the Ray Tyree Memorial Citizenship Award. Tyree’s wife, Celeste, and daughter, Meredith, presented the award.
Congratulations to Dustin Ockman, our 2026 Battle for the Paddle 50/50 winner!
Teams earned judges’ choice and people’s choice honors in each cooking category. Click Here to view the complete photo album of teams and winners.
Winners were:
Judges’ Choice — Gumbo
- Morris P. Hebert (MPH)
- Eco Services
- Entergy Team 2, “Capital Projects”
Judges’ Choice — Pastalaya
- Entergy New Orleans, “Make it Hot”
- Zachry
- Entergy Capital Projects
Judges’ Choice — Jambalaya
- Four Seasons Groundworks
- Industrial Response Services Team 1
- Tiger Tech
People’s Choice — Jambalaya
- ISC Constructors
- St. Charles Parish Government, “Sweet Heat”
- Entergy, “DOC 2”
People’s Choice — Gumbo
- LJB Legal
- St. Charles Parish Hospital
- Shell Norco, “Make Gumbo Great Again”
People’s Choice — Pastalaya
- Child Advocacy Services
- PT Solutions
- LJB Legal
