BINGHAMTON, NY (WIVT/WBGH) – A two-time Grammy winning artist is performing at the Fire House Stage this weekend.

Terrance Simien and his band the Zydeco Experience will perform Saturday evening at 7 p.m.

While in the area, as part of his residency program, Simien goes into local schools to educate students on Creole culture.

Earlier this week, he hosted a cooking demonstration at the SUNY Broome Culinary and Event Center and prepared authentic Louisiana gumbo.

For those unfamiliar with zydeco, it is a form of dance music that hails from Southwestern Louisiana and blends the blues, RNB, and music indigenous to the Creoles and those native to the region.

Musician Terrance Simien says, “I have DNA, I call it jambalaya DNA, because I have ancestors from all over the world. I’m part French, African, Spanish, Native American, German and Irish. And it’s like, all these cultures came together, and you know, Louisiana is one of those melting pots, and all these cultures came together and started something new.”

He admits that he is not a chef, but he knows how to make a handful of dishes, and gumbo is one of them.

He says that music and food go hand in hand when learning about a new culture.

You can order your tickets for Saturday’s performance on the theatre’s website, FireHouseStage.org.