Gumbo Fest highlights local chefs, brings friendly competition

GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) - On Saturday, the second annual Gumbo Fest brought a day full of roux and music.

Local chefs spent Saturday morning prepping their ingredients and, of course, making sure their roux is the best around. The cooks compete for bragging rights in their community — and they aren’t the only ones looking to compete.

Local leaders are also joining in the fun. Mayors from cities like Gulfport, Ocean Springs and D’Iberville are looking to brag about their gumbo to their counterparts.

Just to show how popular this event is, one local chef says he heard about this competition through word of mouth.

“We were riding down Highway 90 last year and saw the plaza full. We caught the last end of it and said we should do this next year,” said Rodney Fairley.

“If you’ve missed it this year, come next year because it’s a great event,” said Monique Fairley. “You’ll get to meet a lot of people and taste some great food and have a lot of food vendors. It’s a great time if you want to go somewhere that’s also family-oriented.”

The Gulfport Main Street Association held this event as a fundraiser but encouraged people to support the restaurants who were participating in the cook-off.

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