Jay Ducote is no stranger to wowing crowds with his unique and delicious food. The University alumnus and local celebrity has gained acclaim for his food blog and radio show, “Bite and Booze,” and was the runner-up on Food Network Star in 2015.
By late 2017, Ducote is set to bring a new kind of food haven to Baton Rouge in the form of Gov’t Taco.
“We wanted to bring something different and more creative for chefs, and tacos are the perfect way to do that,” Ducote said.
By different, he means more than the simple beef, cheese and lettuce taco. The flavors at Gov’t Taco range from spicy, to traditional to Louisiana-inspired and everywhere in between.
Although the brand’s brick-and-mortar location is still in the works, its pop-ups have been wildly successful.  A fan favorite is the Uncle Swine – a play on the famous Uncle Sam - which includes pickled jicima, cojita cheese, micro-cilantro, orange, cherry, chile braised pork.
The tacos run seasonally —which Ducote said adds to the creativity of the business — and uses farm fresh and locally-grown produce in all of its tacos.
“We like to have a little something for everyone,” Ducote said. “Typically we have two or three tacos on the menu at our pop-ups, and sometimes one is a veggie taco. When we open our brick-and-mortar location we will always have vegetarian options.”
The venture hopes to be in the highly anticipated Mid City mixed-use development, White Star Market, by the end of the year.
Until then, Gov’t Taco is steadily influencing people with its standout menu and local approach through pop-ups at the Mid City Makers Market and other events and eateries, such as The Overpass Merchant, Parish Brewing Company and Tin Roof Brewing Company.
At its most recent pop-up at Tin Roof, Gov’t Taco donated 20 percent of profits to Hurricane Harvey relief.
Until the physical location is up and running, Ducote urges fans and newcomers alike to follow Gov’t Taco’s social media pages to stay up to date on where they can find the tacos and updates on White Star Market.
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this incorrectly story stated that Jay Ducote was on Food Network Star in 2011 instead of 2015. The Daily Reveille regrets this error. 

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Photo by Jordan Hefler / Courtesy of Gov't Taco

Gov't Taco