One of South Louisiana’s most distinct festivals, Blackpot Festival & Cookoff returns to Lafayette’s Historic Vermillion Village this month. Besides the music, featuring Barbara Lynn, the Pine Leaf Boys, the Revelers, Quintron and Miss Pussycat and many others, there’s also a cookoff where culinary-minded contestants can compete in various categories such as gravy, gumbo, cracklin’, jambalaya and dessert.

Ironically, the Blackpot would never have been conceived if folk musician Jay Ung...