The sixth annual Tremé Creole Gumbo Festival adds a dash of alternative recipes and a pinch of bounce music to the fest’s already hearty New Orleans line-up this year as rapper Keedy Black joins Glen David Andrews, John Boutté, Bonerama and several brass bands on the 2013 festival roster. The free festival takes place this Saturday and Sunday (November 9-10) at Armstrong Park, where a bevy of the city’s best gumbo chefs will offer up hot tastes of their secret roux, while over a dozen of the Crescent City’s spicy musicians take the stage behind Municipal Auditorium.
Treme Creole Gumbo Fest is November 9-10 at Armstrong Park.
On the edible side of things, the Gumbo Fest introduces a new competition this year — a vegan gumbo cook-off. The festival teamed up with PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) to organize Saturday’s vegan cook-off as a way to show local chefs how easy it is to adapt traditional recipes and add healthier options to local menus. Fest-goers can rate the eight vegan gumbo contestants’ taste cups on ballot forms provided at each booth throughout the weekend, and on Saturday, a panel of celebrity judges will sample all eight vendors to announce their selections.
The judges panel includes: Bryant Terry (Chef, activist and author of Vegan Soul Kitchen, The Inspired Vegan and the forthcoming Afro-Vegan), Scott Gold (Newly-named restaurant columnist for Gambit Weekly, and author of The Shameless Carnivore: A Manifesto for Meat-Lovers), Stanley Crouch (Noted jazz critic and author, most recently of Kansas City Lightning: The Rise and Times of Charlie Parker), Ian McNulty (Food writer for The Advocate), Vincent Sylvain (General manager of the Carver Theater, publisher of the New Orleans Agenda), Tom Nagelin (Chef with the New Orleans School of Cooking), LeBron Joseph (TV and radio personality on WGNO-TV and Old School 106.7-FM), Kelder Summers (Radio personality on Old School 106.7-FM), Travis Laurendine (technology entrepreneur) and Gwen Thompkins (Host of “Music Inside Out” on WWNO-FM).
But just because the featured culinary contest involves creating the tastiest gumbo without meat does not mean there won’t be plenty of just about every kind of gumbo to suit just about anyone’s fancy on-hand. Festival organizers promise food vendors that offer everything from fried seafood and potato salad to shrimp ‘n’ grits.
On the audible side of things, eight hours of live, local music are scheduled for both days. It just wouldn’t be a “for true” Tremé party without the Prince of Tremé, Glen David Andrews (who graces the cover of OffBeat‘s November issue), or John Boutté, both of whom are set to perform on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Several of the usual brass band suspects are on the bill, the Original Pinettes Brass Band making their first major appearance since winning last month’s Red Bull Street Kings brass band competition.
Earl Scioneaux III aka The Madd Wikkid brings Brassft Punk to Armstrong park Sunday.
In addition to Keedy Black‘s performance with the Lagniappe Brass Band at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, the Gumbo Fest adds more unique flavor this year with Madd Wikkid’s Brassft Punk set at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday. The brass band tribute to electro-pop duo Daft Punk will feature members of the Tremé, Panorama and New Orleans Nightcrawlers brass bands for what is shaping up to be a highlight of the weekend. And if all of that is still not enough brass in your pants, then be sure to catch the LadyFest YeMaYa second line parade and a “shake your tail feather” dance contest of New Orleans female dance groups at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.
The Tremé Creole Gumbo Fest 2013 takes place Saturday and Sunday, November 9-10, from 11 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. at Louis Armstrong Park. Admission is free and open to the public of all ages. More Info: www.jazzandheritage.org/treme-gumbo
2013 TREME CREOLE GUMBO FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
Saturday, Nov. 9
11:00 am to 12:15 pm Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra Brass Band
12:15 pm to 12:45 pm Vegan Gumbo Contest Celebrity Judging
12:45 pm to 2:00 pm Treme Brass Band
2:30 pm to 3:45 pm Lagniappe Brass Band with Keedy Black
4:15 pm to 5:30 pm Hot 8 Brass Band
6:00 pm to 7:15 pm Glen David Andrews
Sunday, Nov. 10
11:00 am to 12:15 pm Robin Barnes
1:00 pm to 2:15 pm John Boutte
2:30 pm to 3:45 pm Pinettes Brass Band
YeMaya Dance Contest and Second-Line Parade
3:45 pm to 4:30 pm Baby Boyz Brass Band and the Second-Line Jammers Social Aid & Pleasure Club
4:30 pm to 5:45 pm The Madd Wikkid’s Brassft Punk – A Brass Band Tribute to Daft Punk
Featuring members of the Treme, Panorama and New Orleans Nightcrawlers brass bands
5:45 pm to 6:00 pm Vegan Gumbo Contest Audience Vote Winners
6:00 pm to 7:15 pm Bonerama
