Trending Topics

La. fire captain brings cajun flavor to PBS’ ‘Great American Recipe’

Lafayette captain and home chef Coby Bailey will represent Louisiana’s rich culinary traditions in the season 4 premiere of “The Great American Recipe” on July 11

FR1 Affiliate images - 2025-06-13T163118.987.jpg

PBS/Facebook

By JOANNA BROWN
The Advocate, Baton Rouge, La.
(TNS)

Lafayette firefighter Coby Bailey will show off his Cajun home cooking skills in the season 4 premiere of Great American Recipe, airing on PBS on Friday, July 11.

Great American Recipe selects home chefs from across the country, and explores the way their backgrounds and stories impact their personal recipes and cooking styles. Described by PBS as an uplifting cooking competition,” each contestant shows off the dishes that mean the most to them, exposing the wide range of flavors and cuisines that make American cooking delicious.

Each week of the 6-week series will feature two challenges, after which judges will select the winning dish. In the final episode, the top 3 chefs will compete to see who has the “great American recipe.”

Bailey is a 27-year veteran of the Lafayette Fire Department, and has been a captain in the department for the last 10 years. He grew up immersed in Louisiana’s culinary traditions, and credits his mother and grandmother for passing down their skill as Cajun cooks. According to Bailey, his signature dish is a stuffed chicken with an andouille sauce.

He said of his time on the show, “I had a phenomenal time on the Great American Recipe and it was an honor and a privilege to represent Louisiana and the Cajun and Creole cultures we love so much down here.”

Bailey also served in the U.S. Navy, and lives in Lafayette with his wife and two children. Bailey shares food, recipes, merch and glimpses of his life as a firefighter and chef on his “Captain Coby Cajun Cooking Facebook page.

Season 4 of Great American Recipe on PBS will feature these 8 home chefs:

Rex Alba ( Columbus, Ohio )

Coby Bailey ( Lafayette, Louisiana )

Anika Chowdhury ( New York, New York )

Brie Jamieson ( Great Falls, Montana )

Suwanee Lennon ( Spokane, Washington )

Waigal Safi ( San Diego, California )

Carlos Tiburcio ( San Antonio, Texas )

Fran Wescott ( Durham, North Carolina )

Trending
As shots rang out during the deadly Canfield Mountain ambush, a Northern Lakes battalion chief’s calm and decisive 911 calls helped guide a complex response
Dallas Assistant Fire Chief Lauren Johnson has been named the next chief of Portland Fire & Rescue, becoming only the third woman and third external hire to lead the department
All seven people missing after last week’s fireworks warehouse explosion in Yolo County, California, have been confirmed dead
At least 51 people, including 15 children, are dead and 27 girls remain missing after a flash flood devastated Camp Mystic and surrounding areas in Kerr County

© 2025 The Advocate, Baton Rouge, La.
Visit www.theadvocate.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.