NATCHITOCHES – The Louisiana Gumbo Cook-Off is returning to the Natchitoches-NSU Folk Festival on Saturday July 18, in air-conditioned Prather Coliseum located at 220 South Jefferson Street on the Northwestern State University campus in Natchitoches.
Professionals and hobbyists can demonstrate their cooking skills by competing in any of three categories, Seafood, Poultry Plus and People’s Choice. Registration and the cooks’ meeting will take place at 8 a.m. Tasting and judging will begin at 12:30 p.m., with winners announced at 3:15 p.m. There is no fee to compete in the Cook-off. Gumbo must be cooked on-site outside of Prather Coliseum.
The Gumbo Cook-Off is the Louisiana Folklife Center’s way of celebrating the state’s unique and storied foodways, as well as the rich culture behind the cooking of gumbo.
Competitors will be given a 10’ x 20’ space outside of Prather Coliseum to set up either propane burners or cookfires to prepare their gumbo. Running water will be available on the premises, but all other supplies must be brought by the head cook. All gumbo must be cooked on-site, with no commercial or pre-made roux allowed. Poultry, meat, seafood, rice and broth or stock may be prepared in advance or on-site and canned broth is allowed. Gumbo must be heated to a boil on-site, and gumbo must be prepared in as sanitary a manner as possible. Chefs must prepare at least two gallons of gumbo for the competition. For the complete list of rules, please visit the festival website at www.nsula.edu/folklife/natchitoches-nsu-folk-festival/.
“A Buck A Cup” gumbo sales to the public for the People’s Choice category will begin at 1 p.m. Festival attendees will be invited to purchase gumbo and vote on which gumbo they most enjoyed. Chefs participating in “A Buck A Cup” must provide their own bowls, spoons and napkins.
In addition to the cook-off, this year’s festival will include the Louisiana State Fiddle Championship, three stages with live music and many crafts and food vendors. The festival’s curated showcase of Louisiana folk musicians, food vendors and traditional crafts persons will open at 9 a.m., with live entertainment scheduled for 9:45 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. The family-oriented festival is fully wheelchair accessible. Tickets are $10 at the door for all events, or $6 for an evening pass to all events after 5 p.m. Children 12 and under are admitted free.
For more information, call the Louisiana Folklife Center at (318) 357-4332, email folklife@nsula.edu, or go to www.nsula.edu/folklife/.
Support for the Festival is provided by grants from the Cane River National Heritage Area, Inc., Cleco, the Louisiana Division of the Arts Decentralized Arts Fund Program, the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, the Natchitoches Historic District Development Commission, the Natchitoches Convention and Visitors Bureau, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation, the Shreveport Regional Arts Council and the State of Louisiana.