LBF News & Happenings - Cooking demo lineup, children's and teen programming

From page to plate: cooking demos at the Louisiana Book Festival

The Louisiana Book Festival's live cooking demos are always a highlight of the day, and this year's program will be no exception! On October 31, plan to join us at the Cooking Demonstration Tent as four noted authors prepare dishes from their latest books and walk audiences through the techniques and traditions behind the recipes.

New Orleans native Toya Boudy will demonstrate recipes from Cooking from Scratch: A Careful Selection of Useful Recipes, which draws inspiration from Malinda Russell's groundbreaking 1866 cookbook. Also the author of Cooking for the Culture, Boudy brings her signature blend of Creole, Cajun, and West African flavors to the stage.

Edgar "Dook" Chase IV, executive chef of Dooky Chase's Restaurant and grandson of James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Leah Chase, will cook from his just-released Dook Chase: A Chef's Journey, the companion cookbook to his WYES PBS series exploring New Orleans food traditions.

Anita Spring Council makes the trip from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where she continues to run the iconic Mama Dip's Kitchen founded by her mother, Mildred "Mama Dip" Council. Her debut cookbook, Southern Roots: Recipes and Stories from Mama Dip's Daughter, offers more than 100 dishes rooted in the oral recipe-sharing traditions of her family's four generations in the restaurant business.

Rounding out the lineup is Robin Ha, New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of Cook Korean! Her latest, Instant Noodles and Beyond: A Comic Book with Recipes for Souped-Up Ramen, Mac & Cheese, and More, is a graphic-novel-meets-cookbook with step-by-step illustrated instructions that make each recipe as fun to read as it is to cook.

Cooking demonstrations are free and open to the public. The 2026 Louisiana Book Festival takes place Saturday, October 31, in downtown Baton Rouge's historic Capitol Park area. Visit louisianabookfestival.org for the full schedule.

Featured at the festival: activities and programs for young readers

The Louisiana Book Festival always features an exciting slate of activities for young readers and teens and we're assembling another great selection of youth programming this year.

The festival's Young Readers Pavilion will include appearances by storybook characters, award-winning authors talking about their featured books, musical performances, face painting, balloon artists, and book-related crafts. Book programs will be scheduled in three tents on the front lawn of the State Library beginning at 9 a.m., where more than 20 featured authors will make appearances, presentations, and interact with young readers.

All four Louisiana Readers' Choice Award winners will attend the festival this year. Carlotta Walls LaNier and Lisa Frazier Page will be here for the nonfiction picture book Carlotta's Special Dress: How a Walk to School Changed Civil Rights History. Misako Rocks! will have a middle grade session for manga fans. The festival's lineup of award-winning young reader and teen writers include Newbery and Pura Belpré Honor author Andrea Beatriz Arango and Prinz Honor author T.L. Simpson.

In the days leading up to the festival, children's authors and presenters will be spreading the word across Louisiana. Musical performer Rick Kelley, whose interactive performances inspire kids to read and find joy in books, will visit schools and libraries around the state to promote the event. A number of children’s authors will also be making appearances at Louisiana schools.

The special connections that the festival provides make an impression on young book lovers and inspire our future Louisiana writers. Stay tuned to LouisianaBookFestival.org in the coming weeks for news on specific youth and teen programs at the state's signature literary event.

Recently confirmed authors and titles to be featured at LBF 2026

Over 200 featured authors and presenters have been confirmed to date for the 2026 Louisiana Book Festival. As our staff continues to finalize the lineup, we’ll highlight some of the recently booked participants here. Check out the full list of featured authors and books at LouisianaBookFestival.org.