A Louisiana chef who has spent years in the Louisiana food circuit is slated to be highlighted at this weekend’s Books Along the Teche Literary Festival.

Baton Rouge native Jay Ducote is set to give a seafood demonstration during the annual ticketed event at the festival. As a longtime foodie who developed a passion for cooking when he was a student at Louisiana State University, Ducote said working with seafood has been a great culinary love of his.

“The way I really learned how to cook was tailgating at LSU,” Ducote said. “I would cook outdoors as much as possible. I love cooking on an open fire or grilling, anything where I can cook outside and seafood is great for that.”

Ducote is still in the process of promoting his 2020 book, “Jay Ducote’s Louisiana Outdoor Cooking,” which has a similar theme and is still available.

Although he grew up with great food, Ducote said his career as a chef didn’t really begin until college when he started blogging in 2009.

“I grew up around good food for sure,” he said. “Both of my grandmothers were great cooks and my dad took me hunting a lot.”

His career after college led him to some prominent spaces, including finishing up as a runner-up on Season 11 of the hit reality show “Food Network Star” in 2015. According to his biography, He also had a pilot for his own show, “Deep Fried America,” air on the Travel Channel in 2016. In 2019 he won an episode of Beat Bobby Flay after challenging the Iron Chef to a crawfish boil. Ducote won an episode of Food Network’s “Superchef Grudge Match” in 2023. He has also appeared on “Chopped,” “Cutthroat Kitchen,” “Masterchef” and many more television and web shows.

More recently, Ducote said he has been busy hosting private dinners and catering events in Louisiana. For the literary event, Ducote said that along with the seafood demonstration he will also be serving up something delicious Friday as well.

For more information about the seafood demonstration or cooking event, you can visit www.booksalongthetecheliteraryfestival.com.