With bursts of cooler weather and pumpkin-spiced everything, it’s clear that fall has arrived. Football lovers and foodies, however, have more to celebrate, especially if they live in Louisiana.
Tailgaters from all around the state gather on Saturdays in Baton Rouge to partake in a tradition that began long before any seasonal fall beverages gained popularity. They reunite with friends, play “Louisiana Saturday Night” and start cooking before the football game.
Tailgaters and LSU alumni Herb Firmin and Adam Boé have participated in this ritual for decades and have made a wide variety of meals.
“Gumbo, chili, étouffée—you name it,” Firmin said, gesturing toward the diverse selection of food they prepared and served underneath their purple and gold tent.
Firmin and Boé said jambalaya is another popular tailgating dish at pregame gatherings around Tiger Stadium. They said Louisiana tailgaters do more than flip burgers — they take the time to make Louisiana food.
“They’re even cooking a whole hog,” Boé said, referring to their tailgate neighbors.
Boé prides himself on having missed only one game over the course of several decades. Boé, Firmin and their families and friends have been enjoying their homemade tailgate dishes the entire time.
Another proud LSU tailgater, Jason Doré, has been tailgating for years, never missing a home or away game for a decade.
While his tailgate offers music, a variety of beverages, a television to watch other college games and a view of the Indian Mounds, Doré does not skimp on the quality of the food.
Doré and several of his friends use ingredients from locally owned businesses to make their gameday meals, including fresh hamburger buns from a small bakery in Lafayette. He and his neighbors also share ingredients whenever anyone is in need.
Doré’s tailgate uses Louisiana spices to enhance dishes and cooks meals according to LSU’s opponents that day. For example, tailgating guests eat alligator when Florida is playing, Doré said.
However, tailgaters also share food to welcome other teams’ fans.
“We give them a drink, give them some good Cajun food and show our southern Louisiana hospitality,” Doré said. “We want to show how to welcome away-game fans in your town.”
Many football fans take advantage of Doré’s myriad of foods and drinks, turning the tailgate into an enormous crowd that overflows beyond his tent.
With so many people coming to campus for the festivities, mass communication junior Abigail Lallande said that when it comes to football fare, she has “seen everything.”
“My friends cook baked chicken and hot dogs,” Lallande said. “Basically outdoor food. But we saw a tailgate with so much food, they were giving some away. They had boudin balls and crab cakes.”
Lallande said there are several alternatives to students who do not have access to tailgates or who are looking for a different atmosphere. She mentioned biology junior Monica Bravo’s paleo concession stand, ¡Bravo for Vive!, which opened for the Sept. 6 football game.
You can reach Paige Fary on Twitter @PaigeFary.

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Javier Fernández