Biscuits? Tailgating? Southern brunch? Octavia Spencer has an affinity for all of these, and the Oscar-winning actress will prove it this summer on reality TV.

Spencer, an Alabama native, is the host of “Family Recipe Showdown,” a new series on the Food Network. The show, set to debut on July 17, focuses on home cooking duos who’ll showcase their skills and compete on each episode for a $10,000 prize.

“It’s the heart that they’re bringing to the plate,” Spencer says in a preview video for the series posted on Instagram. (Watch the clip below.)

Spencer describes herself as “an expert at tasting” in the video, as she introduces the show’s primary judge, Edgar “Dook” Chase IV.

“Family Recipe Showdown” is set in New Orleans, and Chase is restaurant royalty in the city, as part of the family that founded the famed Dooky Chase’s Restaurant. He’s also a chef, a business owner and the president of Chase Hospitality Group and Chase Concessions.

Celebrity guest judges will appear on the show, as well, including Reese Witherspoon, Jessica Chastain, Danielle Brooks, Kandi Burruss, Tim Gunn and Al Roker.

Spencer and Witherspoon both have a stake in “Family Recipe Showdown,” which is produced for the Food Network by Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine and Spencer’s Orit Entertainment.

“Each episode features two rounds of culinary throwdowns with themes from a Southern brunch with all the fixings to a top-notch biscuit bakeoff,” a news release says. “Three teams of home cooks must impress Octavia and Dook to advance to the final round. The two duos that move on to the second showdown are tasked with putting their own delicious spin on a family favorite recipe of the episode’s guest judge. Each week, only one family takes home the win and $10,000 prize.”

It’s unclear if any Alabama contestants will be in the mix, but episodes listed on the Food Network site focus on biscuits, brunch, seafood, cocktails, cast-iron skillet recipes, family superstitions and tailgating.

Spencer, a Montgomery native and Auburn University graduate, is no stranger to New Orleans. The actress showcased her love for the Big Easy in a June 1 episode of “My Happy Place,” a series on CNN.

“Octavia Spencer first came to New Orleans for Mardi Gras as a broke college student and has been hooked ever since,” the CNN website says.

Perhaps it’s no surprise, then, that Spencer’s reality series for the Food Network has a New Orleans flavor.

Spencer, 55, earned an Oscar in 2012 for Best Supporting Actress for her work in “The Help,” directed by Tate Taylor. She won a Golden Globe, as well, along with awards from the Screen Actors Guild, NAACP, National Board of Review and more. The 2011 movie was a box-office hit and a springboard for Spencer, propelling her to roles in “The Shape of Water,” “Hidden Figures,” “The Witches,” “Green Book” and more. In 2022, she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

If you watch: “Family Recipe Showdown” debuts on Thursday, July 17, at 8 p.m. CT on the Food Network. New episodes air on Thursdays and stream the next day on HBO Max. Episodes also repeat at various times during the week on Food Network.