Celebrate Fat Tuesday in Indy with the Mardi Gras Gumbo Cook-Off

You can experience your own little bit of Mardi Gras tonight at City Market as 10 restaurants participate in the Mardi Gras Gumbo Cook-Off.

INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) Now matter how you pronounce the name of the city “New Orleans” or “New Or-LEENS”or “Nah-Lins” or “NOLA”, one thing everyone agrees on is that Fat Tuesday is THE biggest party that city hosts every year. And you can’t have Fat Tuesday without some authentic, delicious gumbo. (As well as lots and lots of adult beverages.)

And since enjoying lots and lots of adult beverages on live TV seemed ill-advised, we thought we’d let you know where you can get some authentic, delicious gumbo right here in Indianapolis.

Tonight from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. at the Indianapolis City Market, you can grab a taste of the Mardi Gras Gumbo Cook-Off. Some of Indy’s best chefs will be cooking samples of gumbo, with drinks available for purchase at Tomlinson Tap Room. You can expect tasty dishes from Rook, Love Handle, Libertine, Meridian Restaurant & Bar, Kountry Kitchen Soul Food Place, Twenty Tap, Pogue’s Run Grocer, Circle City Soups, U-Relish Farm, and Three Carrots.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for kids (5 and under are free). A 4-ounce sample of each of the 10 gumbo recipes, as well as a slice of French bread with each sample, will be included in the price of every ticket.

This morning on Sunrise, we featured dishes from two chefs who will be competing. Cara Dafforn, manager of U-Relish Farm, prepared a pinto gumbo recipe for us, even showing how easy it is for people to use her mix/recipe at home. U-Relish has a unique business model where Dafforn brings in beans, pea, and lentils, and mixes them with other vegetables and spices to make delicious slow cook/crock pot meals.

Angela Osborn, a chef with Circle City Soups, also showed off her creole skills. Angela made Circle City Soups’ gumbo recipe for the Gumbo Cook-Off.

We may not have an abundance of parade floats, beaded necklaces and King’s Cakes here in Indianapolis on Fat Tuesday, but at least we have world class gumbo until 9 p.m.