Mumbo Gumbo Fest

4 stars for some of the negative items brought up by Kaitlynn S., this event wasn’t perfect but I really don’t think this event deserves a 1 star. You might think I’m biased since I participated in the festival, but what-​the-​hey Unilocal reviews are all individual, personal experiences. For my first Mumbo Gumbo Fest, I had a super fun time. :p
I first heard about this event through a contact from the Pasadena Chalk Festival looking for volunteers to provide some chalk art to gussy up this event. I was happy to oblige when I heard that this event was to benefit Rosemary Children’s Services, which provides compassionate and therapeutic services to «at-​risk» children. As a bonus, I got to stick around and participate in the eating part of the festival too! This year, the $ 5,500 from this 6^th annual Mumbo Gumbo Fest went to benefit upgrading the bathroom of the Rosemary Cottage. Currently 19 girls are sharing one bathroom and this event will provide the funds to help make their lives more precious.
As an artist I was on the scene early and got to see all the planning and activity that went on behind the scenes to make this event happen. Holy moly, it’s a bunch of work: turning an empty lot to a hopping shin-​dig: setting up the tables, atmosphere, music, food and drinks (Katie B. can surely sympathize)
The music was very fitting, I have never heard of Zydeco before and Lisa Haley & the Zydekats rocked it, I didn’t know they were Grammy nominated till I looked them up later at home. I would describe their music as upbeat, a little like ska mixed with jazzy-​country, I know that sounds silly but then again I’m no music buff. The group that went on before the Wrek N’ Sow Band, they were dressed in overalls and straw hats complimenting their more country sound, their lyrics was hilarious.
Now on to the food, oh man oh man did anyone mention this event was AYCE! Also the food is from Noir Food and Wine
, where one plate of scallops and shrimps is $ 28. Haha I hope you can hear my excitement recapping this event through your computer screen. I am actually allergic to shellfish but shrimp especially, but I ate four plates anyways because that’s how good it was! It’s okay everyone, I just get itchy so when I got home. I took some benadryl and knocked out. :D
Kaitlynn S. said her shrimp was room temp., but I guess it’s the timing of when you go to that tent to pick up your food. They were boiling the shrimp and crawfish in batches, in a large pot over propane burner. I was smart enough to sit at a nearby table (also the shadiest) so when I saw them almost done with a batch, I started lining up again in time for a hot batch. I am only guessing people received one crawfish with their shrimp because people didn’t know how to eat them or as one lady said at my table, «disgusting mudbugs!» yeah I had no shame in relieving her of her crawfish! I don’t know if people knew this, but when being served at the shrimp and crawfish at the tent you can specifically request what you want.
The chicken gumbo was hot and spicy just how I like it, served with some rice it was yummers. There was a lot of flavors going on so I can’t pinpoint what was it in. The only down side to this was that it might have been too spicy for some guests. I know gumbo is supposed to have a kick, but it was cooked in one large vat, perhaps in the future it would be nice to had a mild option as well. Or only have a mild and then some hot sauce as an option.
The chicory salad was very fresh and when complimented with the sliced baguettes it was perfect. The Cajun dressing was pre-​mixed into the salad and wasn’t overpowering or drowning the greens, again perfect lite salad for a hot day.
I didn’t stick around for dessert, so I can’t comment on the wait time. I just went home after getting my fill of shrimp since I was so pooped from drawing. but it sounded good Bananas Foster Flambé with Vanilla Ice Cream.
The service was excellent, they were student volunteers and very, very diligent on going from table to table asking if anyone needed anything and clearing empty plates. On that hot day, I was comfortable because I choose a shady table drank cup after cup of water with ice brought to me by these sweet kids.
Final recap: I would recommend this event to others seeking philanthropy without the tuxedo stuffiness and interested doing good and eating good in a casual backyard bayou setting.

This is a fund raiser with some good food and good music that will semi-​remind you of being in New Orleans…
The problem with the event is that it is advertised as a «Gumbo Fest»…a $ 50 ticket will get you AYCE gumbo, shrimp, crawfish and salad along with dessert. Beer/​wine is not included but served and is $ 5 per glass. Throw in some music and it should be a great time!
Reality fell FAR short of expectations. The Gumbo was served at room temp. Sorry, but there is no excuse for this, especially when its your 6^th year with this event. Not only that but its a health hazard. When asked about this, they said they knew and were «heating» it but when we went back over an hour later it had gone up to luke warm. When they started serving the shrimp and crawfish (it came on the same plate) you got about 7 – 8 shrimp and a single crawfish. The shrimp was great… very fresh, well seasoned and came with a great dipping sauce. We kept going back for more. The crawfish was more of a joke than anything else… they were tiny and you would have to go back about 100 times to get enough to be filling. The salad was some lettuce with dressing.
We were waiting for dessert but it didn’t come in time. At 5:30 the music had become too loud to hold a conversation and we were ready to go. When asked about dessert, we were told it would be at least another 30 min… no thanks. When we left, I asked my partner if this was the first year they had put the event on (its the 6^th) because it felt very uncoordinated and like they had never done it before.
The venue was a parking lot with a stage and various festive decorations. There were large 10 person tables set out, most being VIP and others for those that paid the $ 50 with a glaring distinction between both… those who paid for the $ 1,000 VIP table got one reserved with an umbrella, those of us who just bought a $ 50 ticket (so $ 500 table if 10 people are sitting there…) didn’t get an umbrella. When it’s late afternoon in the mid to high 90’s with little to no shade, you begin to wonder if you’re being punished for not buying the «VIP» table.
So in short, if you are looking for a Gumbo fest, go find a good restaurant and save yourself a lot of money. If you want to donate to charity and get some decent food out of it, then this might be your thing. My advice to the promoters is to change either the ads or event to reflect one another.