Heartstrings and Angel Wings Gumbo Cook-Off
Serving up gumbo from the heart in Henderson, Louisiana
Any gumbo worth its roux can warm your body, but a truly good one warms all the way through to your heart. When it comes to the Heartstrings and Angel Wings Gumbo Cook-Off, the cause—providing clothing for severely premature babies in Neonatal Intensive Care Units—is plenty heartwarming on its own. But even still, the gumbo is sure to bring its own share of well-seasoned goodness to the table, and the competition promises to spice things up even further.
About 30 teams are expected to bring their best concoctions to simmer in this year’s competition. Categories are divided into chicken and sausage or seafood, but the individual entries tend to run the gumbo gauntlet.
“I’ve seen light gumbo, dark gumbo, thin gumbo, thick gumbo, you name it. It’s a great thing about gumbo, no two ever turn out just the same,” says Chef Colt Patin, a founding member of the Heartstrings and Angel Wings organization.
Patin, a chef-instructor at the Louisiana Culinary Institute, even has some of his students taking a hands-on interest in the event.
“They’re doing the whole thing from scratch, making their own roux, even making their own sausage,” says Patin. “They’re very excited, and we can’t wait to see how it turns out.”
Though the cook-off is open to all interested teams, many of the competitors are no strangers to the event or to the charity behind it.
“We get a lot of family teams who come back,” Patin says, noting that many of these have been recipients of Heartstrings and Angel Wings in the past. “They bring pictures, even clothes their own newborns received.”
The annual Heartstrings and Angel Wings Gumbo Cook-Off is a fun, family-friendly opportunity to celebrate this gesture of compassion while helping to support the cause—and to taste some of the best gumbo in St. Martin while you’re at it. This year’s event takes place at the Henry Guidry Memorial Park in Henderson, Louisiana, on March 23. $10 admission (kids 12 and younger free) includes live music, kids’ activities, and other entertainment, not to mention all-you-can-eat gumbo from cook-off teams, so come hungry! Visit heartstringsandangelwings.org/cookoff for details.