To add to the festivities of the 2025 Bastrop, Texas, Mardi Gras, the Bastrop Juneteenth Celebration is honored to host the second Bastrop Mardi Gras Festival Gumbo Cookoff on Saturday, February 1. The entry fee to participate is $100 per team, and for a $10 donation, spectators are invited to taste participants' entries. The number of entries will be limited to 15 teams. Prizes will be awarded for first, second, third place, and people's choice.
Gumbo Must:
• All food preparation must occur on premise on the day of the event except roux, stock, and rice.
• Each team is required to make a minimum of 10 gallons of gumbo and five pounds of rice to provide samples to the public and a panel of judges.
• Be ready for judging and tasting at 1 p.m. Judging will be blind from numbers only.
Team Requirements:
Team Captain: each team will designate a team captain that will be responsible for keeping their team’s cooking area clean, that samples are given to the judges table, as well as ensuring all team members understand the rules and regulations.
Check-in and Set-up: All teams must report to the event info and judging booth area at 7 a.m. for check-in and set up instructions. A Cook-Off representative will be available to help with checking your team in and telling you where to set up. Teams may bring vehicles near their cook-off spot for loading and unloading only. Once all equipment and supplies are removed from vehicles, they will need to be moved to designated or nearby public parking. All teams must have vehicles removed by 7:50 a.m., the event begins at 8 a.m. for the public.
Space: Each team will be designated a 10’x20’ space for their food preparation and cooking. Each team will need to provide their own canopy, weights (30lb at each leg), tables and cooking equipment and supplies. Each team is responsible for the cleanliness of their space and for following City, County and State food safety regulations. Teams must break down their stations and completely vacate the areas no later than 2 p.m.
Health and Safety:
• A centralized three compartment dishwashing station and handwashing station will be provided for participants to use. Additionally, participants are welcome to have their own handwashing and three compartment dishwashing setup within their 10x20’ stations.
• All food preparation must occur underneath each team’s respective canopy and cooking is required to happen outside of the canopy but within the 10x20’ designated team spot. All food must be covered at all times.
• No smoking is allowed in the cooking area.
• No pets allowed in the cooking area.
Judging:
Numbered containers for the judging will be provided by the Bastrop Juneteenth Celebration at approximately 11:45 a.m. A team captain is required to deliver the numbered sample to the judging area by 12 noon. The judging area will be communicated to each Team Captain the morning of the event. The winners of the cook-off will be announced at approximately 2 p.m. All decisions by the judges are final.
• The judges will give each gumbo a score between 1 and 5. The judging criteria are as follows:
- Appearance – has a good gumbo-roux color
- Aroma – must smell appetizing
- Consistency – stirs like a good gumbo – thickness of base, etc.
- Texture – balanced quantity of ingredients
- Flavor – tastes like a good gumbo, pleasing to the palate
- Cooking conditions are subject to inspection. Failure to follow these rules will be grounds for disqualification. Any changes to these official rules and regulations will be communicated to teams in advance of the event.
Additional information along with entry forms can be found at https://www.bastroptxmardigras.com/gumbo-cookoff.
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