NATCHEZ — For three hours Saturday morning a portion of Main Street in downtown Natchez will become the center of the biscuit-making universe.

“We call it Biscuit Alley,” Natchez Biscuit Festival organizer Regina Charboneau said.

This year’s festival will start at 8 a.m. Saturday on Main Street between Pearl and Wall streets, Charboneau said.

“We call it Biscuit Alley because of Biscuit and Blues and Regina’s Kitchen, which does biscuit classes every day,” Charboneau said. “When the Eola opens, they will be doing biscuits, and hopefully Molly Manning will be doing biscuits when she opens her bakery.”

Charboneau said the event will start at 8 a.m. when biscuits and breakfast sandwiches will be on sale from local restaurants. Magnolia Bluffs Casino chef Lakenta “KP” Pearson will be one of the chefs cooking up breakfast dishes, Charboneau said.

“All local restaurants are welcome to participate,” Charboneau said.

For the first time, the festival will include a biscuit-eating contest.

“People will be timed on how fast they can eat a half dozen biscuits,” Charboneau said.

After the biscuit eating contest, local cooks will present their prize biscuits for the annual biscuit cook-off.

“We have some fun judges this year,” Charboneau said. “I have some ladies from Miami who are coming to judge, and country music singers Hailey Steele and Travis Howard will also help judge.”

Charboneau said Steele and Howard will be at Smoot’s Grocery Saturday night as part of the Festival.

“Google them. You will be impressed by their music,” Charboneau said.

Magnolia Bluffs Casino sponsors the concert which starts at 8 p.m., Charboneau said. The event is $20.

During the morning cook-off biscuits will be judged in the following five categories:

• Home cook – breakfast biscuit
• Home cook — most creative biscuit
• Children’s category — best overall biscuit
• Chef’s division — best breakfast biscuit
• Chef’s division — most creative biscuit

All biscuits must be homemade. Biscuits in the youth division must be made primarily by the youth.

Participants must bring a dozen biscuits and must be present during judging.

Charboneau said she would have some oven space available for those who want to bake their biscuits at Regina’s Kitchen.

“They can’t mix them here, but they can bake them here if they would like,” Charboneau said.

Stop by Regina’s Kitchen at 312 Main Street to sign up for the cook-off and Saturday’s events, Charboneau said.