JamieOliver.com

The people I watched in the show, including your family, all seem very resilient and tough and able to handle anything that life throws at them. Is this something that you learn or is it just a part of who you are?
Being tough is our way of life! We were brought up to believe that we can do anything and that hard work never hurt anyone. This has been handed down from generation to generation.

Has this way of life been in your family for generations?
Once we start a project we want it to be part of our history. That is why at the early age of seven I began teaching my granddaughter, Whitney Durand to hunt alligators. She loves it and has promised to keep the traditions going.

How does your family make a living?
Our family owns Grand Bois Plantation which produces sugarcane, rice and crawfish. We hunt alligators, ducks and deer and we also operate Durand Ranch where we raise working ranch horses (quarter horses), pure bred Brangus, Angus cattle and thoroughbreds (race horses). I am retired from the oil industry and a retired member of the Louisiana House of Representatives.

How old were you when you saw your first alligator?
When I saw my first gator I was about seven or eight. I was riding with my Dad on a gravel road that passes through the swamp when we saw a huge gator in the middle of the road. At that age I thought it was a dinosaur, only to learn that it was a gator. That sighting really sparked my interest in learning about them

How old were you when you learnt to shoot?
Always loving the outdoors, I began hunting and fishing at an early age, probably about six years old.

As most viewers of the show would not have experienced life where you are, can you let us know a little bit more about how you are legally able to kill the alligators?
Let’s talk about alligators: they multiply quickly and must be kept under control by having a hunting season. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries issue tags to landowners (one tag per 500 acres), also taking into consideration the amount of gators at that particular site.

What happens if they are not culled?
I started hunting alligators because the population on the plantation was getting out of control. I was in the rice field training my hunting dog when a gator tried to attack her during a retrieve. I knew then that there were too many and that it was really dangerous because the rice and crawfish ponds have people in them harvesting crop on a daily basis.

Is it best to shoot them in one shot?
Shooting alligators can be tricky. The best place to shoot them is on the top of the head where you can see a diamond looking soft spot and, as I said, this can be tricky.

Had you heard of Jamie before he came and visited you?
I, as well as everyone else, was very excited to have Jamie hunting with us. Jamie was a real natural, he jumped right into it as if he had been hunting alligators all his life. His personality is such that he seems always ready to try anything.

It seemed like there was incredible community spirit when Jamie cooked with David at his restaurant. What was the atmosphere like?
The party at David’s place was fantastic and needless to say the food was exceptional. The residents in the area wanted to do only one thing and that was to make Jamie and his crew feel at home… and to have them love Louisiana as much as we do.

Now that Jamie has experienced your way of life would you like to come to the UK and experience Jamie’s?
Spending time in the UK and seeing and visiting with Jamie again would be a dream come true. I don’t know why, but immediately Jamie and I became instant friends. He is a terrific person, and also very likeable.

Anything else to add?
Spending time with Jamie and the crew in Louisiana was different, exciting and something that I shall never forget!