More fun than ever before: Re-established Taste of Gumbo declared success
Published 9:57 am Tuesday, February 19, 2019
- The folks with the Schooner Restaurant dish out some gumbo during the Rotary Club of Port Arthur’s 2019 Taste of Gumbo at the Robert A. “Bob” Bowers Civic Center.
There was a lot of gumbo tasting going on Saturday and it was all for a good cause.
About 1,200 people packed the Robert A. “Bob” Bowers Civic Center for the event and with 15 gumbo vendors — not counting other snack booths — there was about 600 gallons of gumbo being dished out during the Rotary Club of Port Arthur’s Taste of Gumbo event.
Representatives of Big Boi’s Crawfish Hole, the third place winner, left; Edith’s Place, second place winner; and Reel Cajun restaurant, first place winners of the Rotary Club of Port Arthur’s Taste of Gumbo pose for a photo Saturday at the Robert A. “Bob” Bowers Civic Center.
Mary Meaux/The News
Callie Summerlin, Rotary president, is calling this year’s event a success, especially after having to take a year off while the civic center underwent repairs from Hurricane and Tropical Storm Harvey.
“We heard and witnessed really positive reactions all around, and everyone seemed to be enjoying the food while having so much fun,” Summerlin said. “Along with the gumbo vendors, the added attractions like the event branded photobooth, Megatronix laser tag and the Stockyard’s Wild West virtual gun range were all a hit. We wanted to create a true family event, and having fun things for the kids to do encourages the community to stay longer and really enjoy the three-hour event from start to finish. The DJ’d music and the fellowship added to the event’s fun and friendly atmosphere, and I can tell you that the Rotarians had more fun this year than ever before.”
Summerlin said they’ve set a great precedent moving forward and each Taste of Gumbo event will continue to grow.
“This event itself is a great service to our community, and the dollars we raise are designed to go right back into it. In this way, our success is inevitable,” she said.
A panel of judges including retired restaurant owner Ester Benoit, Port Arthur News Publisher Rich Macke, the Rev. Kevin Badeaux, Fred Vernon, Port Arthur Mayor Derrick Freman and Darragh Doiron Castillo had the task of judging the gumbos.
The Taste of Gumbo is the Rotary’s only fundraiser and proceeds go to scholarships for Port Arthur high school graduates, Rotary Youth Leadership training, the club’s dictionary distribution project, assistance to Harvey victims and other efforts such as Community Care Prayer Outreach, United Board of Missions and Salvation Army.
