Jay Ducote

Chef | Traveler | Speaker | Storyteller | TV Host
📺 Food Network, Travel Channel, ESPN & More
🏆 Beat Bobby Flay, Superchef Grudge Match
📕 Louisiana Outdoor Cooking He received his BA in economics and political science from LSU in 2004 and MA in political science in 2007. Jay is most widely known for finishing runner-up on Season 11 of the hit reality competition show Food Network Star in 2015. 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. He has also appeared on Chopped, Cutthroat Kitchen, Masterchef, and many more television and web shows. Jay has twice been invited to cook at the historic James Beard House in New York. He served an LSU Tailgate inspired menu in 2016, and reunited with his Food Network Star cast in 2018. He has also been a featured chef on ESPN’s College GameDay two times, the pinnacle of learning how to cook throwing tailgate parties for LSU Football. He continues to cook for events large and small, near and far. Throughout Jay’s career he has led ventures in blogging, radio, television, digital media, sauces, seasonings, wine, coffee, restaurants, catering, pop-up dinners, barbecue, and much more. In the Fall of 2020, the LSU Press published Jay Ducote’s Louisiana Outdoor Cooking, a cookbook chronicling Jay’s time growing up hunting, fishing, tailgating, and his professional culinary journey to that point. Jay currently travels as much as he can to soak in the great cultures of the world and experience everything that life has to offer.