Gumbo Krewe's Back Feeding the Hungry Near Ground Zero (And this time, they brought king cakes)

Nola.com ^ | 11/03/2001 | Mary Swerczek

[Irma]

Gumbo Krewe's back feeding the hungry near ground zero

And this time, they brought king cakes

11/03/01

By Mary Swerczek
River Parishes bureau/The Times-Picayune

NEW YORK -- In September, the Gumbo Krewe brought an appetizer.

This week, it came back to finish serving the meal.

Bolstered by the reception it received in late September, the krewe, organized by a Norco couple, returned to Manhattan on Thursday to provide some good Louisiana cooking to rescue workers helping the city dig out from the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

And whether drawn by the festive Mardi Gras music blaring from a CD player, the odor of exotic spices wafting in the air or the plethora of New York newspaper articles written about the Gumbo Krewe's presence in the Big Apple, rescue workers and others visited the krewe's makeshift kitchen by the bucketful Friday.

American Red Cross volunteer Stevenson Nurse ate some gumbo after finishing his midnight to 8 a.m. shift Thursday. The Harlem resident had tried gumbo before -- at a New Orleans-style restaurant in New York.

"This gumbo is definitely different," he said. "I love the gumbo. I think the gumbo is excellent."

Manhattan resident Erica Wilder walked over from her job at the New York Sports Club, a nearby fitness center, to grab a bowl of gumbo.

"The food was delicious," she said, of her first-ever bowl of the Louisiana specialty. "I always heard about it. It's not as spicy as I thought."

'It's such a great feeling'

The Gumbo Krewe, a group of 30 Louisianians hailing from New Orleans to St. Francisville were only living up to their motto: "Serve (their) country by serving (their) country."

"It's such a great feeling to help people," said Tod E. Detillier of Lutcher, a krewe member who brought his mobile kitchen.

The Gumbo Krewe hopes to distribute 30,000 bowls of chicken-andouille gumbo, in addition to 10,000 bowls of jambalaya, 30,000 strands of Mardi Gras beads and hundreds of king cakes.

The group arrived in Manhattan on Thursday and started cooking. Organizer Shawn Bradley of Norco made his gumbo -- his roux is dark, but the gumbo is not too spicy. Tod's Catering of Lutcher and Baton Rouge food distributor Joe Christiana are supplying jambalaya, white beans and pastalaya. And Richard Oliveaux of St. Francisville added red beans and rice to the mix.

The crew also made deliveries to posts where rescue workers couldn't leave, Bradley said as he stirred his roux -- enough for 80 gallons of gumbo -- with a wooden canoe paddle.

St. James Parish Deputy Steven Brignac, who had driven a Sheriff's Office pickup at the front of the New York-bound caravan, took to an all-terrain vehicle -- more familiar with Louisiana's back roads than New York's busy streets -- to advertise the free Louisiana food.

'Thank you, New Orleans'

Police officers smiled and waved as he roared the vehicle the wrong way on Broadway.

"Thank you, New Orleans," a New York City firefighter yelled, waving his helmet at the ATV.

Kenner resident Gilbert S. Ortiz rode on the front of the ATV, and jumped off when he saw firefighters or police officers to give them beads and food or to invite them to the Gumbo Krewe's post at Greenwich and Chambers streets.

The krewe set up its tents and pots on the sidewalk in front of an elementary school that has been closed because of its proximity to ground zero. LSU and Saints flags flew next to an American flag at the post on a barricaded street only three blocks from the still-smoldering remains of the World Trade Center buildings.

Krewe members said other visual signs of the attack have faded since their first visit in late September. The smoky smell that once permeated the city is detectable only on some days now. And only a few New Yorkers still wear surgical masks to shield themselves from contaminants in the air.

As they did the first time around, the New Yorkers thanked the Louisianians for making the trip and trying to soothe their city.

"It's a good comfort food," New York City police officer Chris Hunt said. "You can't beat it. It's good gumbo and it's made with love."

For educational/discussion purposes only

[Irma]

People helping people......

[secunda]

"Thank you, New Orleans," a New York City firefighter yelled, waving his helmet at the ATV. New Orleans had nothing to do with this, these were people mostly from the upriver parishes between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

[Irma]

New Orleans had nothing to do with this, these were people mostly from the upriver parishes between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

I agree...and I almost made the exact same comment!

[geaux]

Coon a*s bump.

[Bogey78O]

hehe...true. But if it's Gumbo everyone's gonna refer to them as New Orleanians. Nevermind the fact that most the coon@sses moved out of New Orleans. You find more more "New Orleanish" places outside the surrounding area of New Orleans.