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Gumbo Life: Tales from the Roux Bayou
A sprightly, deeply personal narrative about how gumbo—for 250 years a Cajun and Creole secret—has become one of the world’s most beloved dishes.
Ask any self-respecting Louisianan who makes the best gumbo and the answer is “Momma.” The product of a melting pot of culinary influences, gumbo, in fact, reflects the diversity of the people who cooked it French aristocrats, West Africans in bondage, Cajun refugees, German settlers, Native Americans—all had a hand in the pot. What is it about gumbo that continues to delight and nourish so many? And what explains its spread around the world?
A seasoned journalist, Ken Wells sleuths out the answers. His obsession goes back to his childhood in the Cajun bastion of Bayou Black, where his French-speaking mother’s gumbo often began with a chicken chased down in the yard. Back then, gumbo was a humble soup little known beyond the boundaries of Louisiana. So when a homesick young Ken, at college in Missouri, realized there wasn’t a restaurant that could satisfy his gumbo cravings, he called his momma for the recipe. That phone-taught gumbo was a disaster. The second, cooked at his mother’s side, fueled a lifelong quest to explore gumbo’s roots and mysteries.
In Gumbo Tales from the Roux Bayou, Wells does just that. He spends time with octogenarian chefs who turn the lowly coot into gourmet gumbo; joins a team at a highly competitive gumbo contest; visits a factory that churns out gumbo by the ton; observes the gumbo-making rituals of an iconic New Orleans restaurant where high-end Creole cooking and Cajun cuisine first merged.
Gumbo Life, rendered in Wells’ affable prose, makes clear that gumbo is more than simply a delicious it’s an attitude, a way of seeing the world. For all who read its pages, this is a tasty culinary memoir—to be enjoyed and shared like a simmering pot of gumbo.
Ask any self-respecting Louisianan who makes the best gumbo and the answer is “Momma.” The product of a melting pot of culinary influences, gumbo, in fact, reflects the diversity of the people who cooked it French aristocrats, West Africans in bondage, Cajun refugees, German settlers, Native Americans—all had a hand in the pot. What is it about gumbo that continues to delight and nourish so many? And what explains its spread around the world?
A seasoned journalist, Ken Wells sleuths out the answers. His obsession goes back to his childhood in the Cajun bastion of Bayou Black, where his French-speaking mother’s gumbo often began with a chicken chased down in the yard. Back then, gumbo was a humble soup little known beyond the boundaries of Louisiana. So when a homesick young Ken, at college in Missouri, realized there wasn’t a restaurant that could satisfy his gumbo cravings, he called his momma for the recipe. That phone-taught gumbo was a disaster. The second, cooked at his mother’s side, fueled a lifelong quest to explore gumbo’s roots and mysteries.
In Gumbo Tales from the Roux Bayou, Wells does just that. He spends time with octogenarian chefs who turn the lowly coot into gourmet gumbo; joins a team at a highly competitive gumbo contest; visits a factory that churns out gumbo by the ton; observes the gumbo-making rituals of an iconic New Orleans restaurant where high-end Creole cooking and Cajun cuisine first merged.
Gumbo Life, rendered in Wells’ affable prose, makes clear that gumbo is more than simply a delicious it’s an attitude, a way of seeing the world. For all who read its pages, this is a tasty culinary memoir—to be enjoyed and shared like a simmering pot of gumbo.
315 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 26, 2019
25 people are currently reading
181 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
June 11, 2019
3.5 All things Gumbo, the quisessential staple of Louisiana. In many homes baby's first food. The difference between Cajun and Creole, which i found fascinating. The many nationalities that contributed to gumbo. It has been around for 250 years, since 1764, though of course ingredients have changed. Don't think many still make it using lard, but then who knows. Not everyone is health conscious.
Houma, Louisiana, where Wells was born, his family's history, and his love of his mother's gumbo. Some amusing family stories and s tour of the area, and others in Louisiana. Why he had to learn to cook gumbo for himself. The many different ways gumbo is cooked, based on the ingredients used. Many of the basic ingredients though stay the same. Amazing though the many different things that have been thrown into the pot.
I found this to be an interesting book, though certain parts were a bit too lengthy. I do though, love Louisiana and seeming it through his eyes, hearing his family stories, was very entertaining. At books end are several recipes for different types of Gumbo.
ARC from Edelweiss.
Houma, Louisiana, where Wells was born, his family's history, and his love of his mother's gumbo. Some amusing family stories and s tour of the area, and others in Louisiana. Why he had to learn to cook gumbo for himself. The many different ways gumbo is cooked, based on the ingredients used. Many of the basic ingredients though stay the same. Amazing though the many different things that have been thrown into the pot.
I found this to be an interesting book, though certain parts were a bit too lengthy. I do though, love Louisiana and seeming it through his eyes, hearing his family stories, was very entertaining. At books end are several recipes for different types of Gumbo.
ARC from Edelweiss.
January 22, 2020
Why I read this book.
This book speaks to me because I often make a not-quite gumbo chicken soup. The last time I made a roux-less gumbo? maybe about 3 or years ago. I thickened with okra. I may try file'/ground sassafrass. Good-enough andouille is available here at a local supermarket or two. I just have not made the time. I am feeling inspired now.
Like many people described in this book, I learned to make roux-less gumbo from a family member. I learned from my son's other grandmother. She was born about 1914 on a farm in Southern Lousiana in an area where the bayous may have been larger and were definitely more fertile than now.
________________
What is so great about this book.
1. History of the development of gumbo. Perhaps the origins came from some cooks realizing that a roux added to bouillabaisse might make the bouillabaisse more interesting. Then the changes and additions started coming from various cultural exchanges in Louisanna. Examples: The Germas added their sausage-making abilties and Native Americans their smoking techniques. With all the cultural exchange, there are at least three ways to thicken the soup/stew, a large variety of local land and water animals, mostly but not always andouille sausage. For readers just starting on their cooking life or their gumbo-making life, this book offer options and explanations adequate for an experienced basic cook.
2. Instructions on how to make chestnut-colored roux. I learned what I missed in my one and only gumbo-making lesson (someone else, not son's grandmother): The skillet must be sizzling hot with the fat bubbling before the flour goes in. Many traditional cooks use animal fats--lard, re-claimed animal fats from previous gumbo batch--while others less traditional chose to use butter.
2. Recording of variations to gumbo proteins. Ken Wells has recorded a series of recipes at the back of his book, a whole variety. Chicken and sausage. Ham, sausage, and chicken. Shrimp and crab. Quail and sausage. Ham, sausage, and lobster with two types of sausage, duck and sausage. Wells also tells of other animals used for protein: oysters, squirrel, snake, and deer among others. Most--not all agree-no fin fish allowed.
3. Noting of variations to the veggies. The French mirepoix changed into the Southern holy trinity plus: green peppers, onion, celery. A few gumbos have wilted greens, something not many cooks include. Many others add garlic or tomatoes--and okra/file' for thickening.
4. Matching harvesting/catching food with environmental concerns. Since the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, since the building of the levee, New Orleans was several times protected while the bayou and estuaries and even Gulf of Mexico has experienced ecological (food) changes. Then Rita and Katrina (2005) caused greater damage than necessary as the weakened barrier islands of Lousianna did not able to withstand the onslaught of the 2005 hurricanes.
This ecological discuss does not come off as a rant. It reads as a description of great sadness and as a description of a thin hope.
What I did not so much lime--though did not dislike--the preface and one chapter of rather slow starting. After that slow start, I found myself reading more and more quickly.
Great primer for all those who would like to make a mostly Lousianna-style gumbo.
Extra note. Ken Wells challenges those of us who are familiar with Tex-Mex cooking to make a Tex-Mex style gumbo. He suggests the use of picante sauce and/or the use of jalapenos. Hmmmm. I am thinking of one or the other of the suggestions. I am thinking of milder poblanos and of squeezes of lemon or lime. But then we might be approaching and re-inventing tortilla soup. My thoughts today. Ask me again next year.
This book speaks to me because I often make a not-quite gumbo chicken soup. The last time I made a roux-less gumbo? maybe about 3 or years ago. I thickened with okra. I may try file'/ground sassafrass. Good-enough andouille is available here at a local supermarket or two. I just have not made the time. I am feeling inspired now.
Like many people described in this book, I learned to make roux-less gumbo from a family member. I learned from my son's other grandmother. She was born about 1914 on a farm in Southern Lousiana in an area where the bayous may have been larger and were definitely more fertile than now.
________________
What is so great about this book.
1. History of the development of gumbo. Perhaps the origins came from some cooks realizing that a roux added to bouillabaisse might make the bouillabaisse more interesting. Then the changes and additions started coming from various cultural exchanges in Louisanna. Examples: The Germas added their sausage-making abilties and Native Americans their smoking techniques. With all the cultural exchange, there are at least three ways to thicken the soup/stew, a large variety of local land and water animals, mostly but not always andouille sausage. For readers just starting on their cooking life or their gumbo-making life, this book offer options and explanations adequate for an experienced basic cook.
2. Instructions on how to make chestnut-colored roux. I learned what I missed in my one and only gumbo-making lesson (someone else, not son's grandmother): The skillet must be sizzling hot with the fat bubbling before the flour goes in. Many traditional cooks use animal fats--lard, re-claimed animal fats from previous gumbo batch--while others less traditional chose to use butter.
2. Recording of variations to gumbo proteins. Ken Wells has recorded a series of recipes at the back of his book, a whole variety. Chicken and sausage. Ham, sausage, and chicken. Shrimp and crab. Quail and sausage. Ham, sausage, and lobster with two types of sausage, duck and sausage. Wells also tells of other animals used for protein: oysters, squirrel, snake, and deer among others. Most--not all agree-no fin fish allowed.
3. Noting of variations to the veggies. The French mirepoix changed into the Southern holy trinity plus: green peppers, onion, celery. A few gumbos have wilted greens, something not many cooks include. Many others add garlic or tomatoes--and okra/file' for thickening.
4. Matching harvesting/catching food with environmental concerns. Since the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, since the building of the levee, New Orleans was several times protected while the bayou and estuaries and even Gulf of Mexico has experienced ecological (food) changes. Then Rita and Katrina (2005) caused greater damage than necessary as the weakened barrier islands of Lousianna did not able to withstand the onslaught of the 2005 hurricanes.
This ecological discuss does not come off as a rant. It reads as a description of great sadness and as a description of a thin hope.
What I did not so much lime--though did not dislike--the preface and one chapter of rather slow starting. After that slow start, I found myself reading more and more quickly.
Great primer for all those who would like to make a mostly Lousianna-style gumbo.
Extra note. Ken Wells challenges those of us who are familiar with Tex-Mex cooking to make a Tex-Mex style gumbo. He suggests the use of picante sauce and/or the use of jalapenos. Hmmmm. I am thinking of one or the other of the suggestions. I am thinking of milder poblanos and of squeezes of lemon or lime. But then we might be approaching and re-inventing tortilla soup. My thoughts today. Ask me again next year.
January 19, 2026
Purging! Gave to Goodwill 1/19/2026
Gumbo Life: Tales From the Roux Bayou by Ken Wells (Hardcover, 1st edition., 2019), 259 pages.
“The roux is the soul of the gumbo.” (Bonnie Toups Wells, p. 9)
This is a culinary memoir with quite a bit of gumbo history and a bit of family history of the author’s life growing up on Bayou Black, along with 10 gumbo recipes provided from different regions around Louisiana, including the author’s mom’s gumbo recipe.
But, the first thing I noticed was the fact that “Wells” is not a Cajun name. As it turns out, Ken Wells’ father is a transplant from Arkansas. He took a job at a sugarcane mill and settled his family in Louisiana on Bayou Black, where the author was raised. His mother, Bonnie Toups, was native to Thibodaux, Louisiana. So yes, he grew up in the thick of Cajun country, also known as the Gumbo Belt, and knows a thing or two about good Cajun foods.
Gumbo was once considered a peasant’s dish because most of the ingredients were straight from the land, hunting and growing their own foods. To date, the earliest record found of mentioning gumbo was in the New Orleans slave genealogical records dating back to 1764.
Gumbo could have originated from French (with their gravies), Spanish (with their spices), African (with their okra tomato dishes), Native Americans (with their ground sassafras and smoked meats), Germans (with their sausage making) and Cajun descents (with their roux), all contributing to perfecting it. The debate goes on as to who was the greatest contributor. The author lays out all the possibilities in chapter two. But, the Cajuns have definitely captured it, stamped it, claimed it and popularized it so much that it has now, pretty much, become a world-wide phenomenon. So, people of all walks of life will have their own versions to share. New Orleans creole gumbo will be considerably different from Southwest Louisiana gumbo. But, it’s all good.
If ever asked who makes the best gumbo, the answer will always be, and should be, “Momma made the best gumbo on earth.”
But, I would have to say my man, a full-blown Cajun, himself, cooks the best darn gumbo I’ve ever tasted.
Cajuns take their gumbo seriously. In 2009, after the movie “The Princess and the Frog” came out, Disney tried to put up a healthy version of gumbo online, using ingredients such as quinoa, kale and other greens and no roux at all. They received so much backlash from Cajuns all over Louisiana that Disney had to remove it from online. One subscriber from Lafayette wrote that it made him so mad he wanted to punch a baby in the face. Now, that’s pretty darn serious!
INTERESTING BOOKS REFERENCED:
“Who’s Your Mama, Are You Catholic, and Can You Make a Roux?” by Ms. Bienvenu (food memoir)
“The Picayune Creole Cook Book” (1901, early Louisiana recipes)
“Southeast Louisiana Food: A Seasoned Tradition”
“The Settlement of the German Coast in Louisiana and the Creoles of German Descent” (1909)
“The Encyclopedia of Cajun & Creole Cuisine” by John Folse (2004)
BEST CAJUN RESTAURANT’S MENTIONED:
- Mulate’s in Breaux Bridge, LA & also now in New Orleans
- Lafitte’s Landing at Bittersweet Plantation in Donaldsonville, LA (owned by John Folse)
- Commander’s Palace, New Orleans, LA
- Li’l Dizzy’s, New Orleans, LA
- Dooky Chase’s (in the Treme), New Orleans, LA
Gumbo Life: Tales From the Roux Bayou by Ken Wells (Hardcover, 1st edition., 2019), 259 pages.
“The roux is the soul of the gumbo.” (Bonnie Toups Wells, p. 9)
This is a culinary memoir with quite a bit of gumbo history and a bit of family history of the author’s life growing up on Bayou Black, along with 10 gumbo recipes provided from different regions around Louisiana, including the author’s mom’s gumbo recipe.
But, the first thing I noticed was the fact that “Wells” is not a Cajun name. As it turns out, Ken Wells’ father is a transplant from Arkansas. He took a job at a sugarcane mill and settled his family in Louisiana on Bayou Black, where the author was raised. His mother, Bonnie Toups, was native to Thibodaux, Louisiana. So yes, he grew up in the thick of Cajun country, also known as the Gumbo Belt, and knows a thing or two about good Cajun foods.
Gumbo was once considered a peasant’s dish because most of the ingredients were straight from the land, hunting and growing their own foods. To date, the earliest record found of mentioning gumbo was in the New Orleans slave genealogical records dating back to 1764.
Gumbo could have originated from French (with their gravies), Spanish (with their spices), African (with their okra tomato dishes), Native Americans (with their ground sassafras and smoked meats), Germans (with their sausage making) and Cajun descents (with their roux), all contributing to perfecting it. The debate goes on as to who was the greatest contributor. The author lays out all the possibilities in chapter two. But, the Cajuns have definitely captured it, stamped it, claimed it and popularized it so much that it has now, pretty much, become a world-wide phenomenon. So, people of all walks of life will have their own versions to share. New Orleans creole gumbo will be considerably different from Southwest Louisiana gumbo. But, it’s all good.
If ever asked who makes the best gumbo, the answer will always be, and should be, “Momma made the best gumbo on earth.”
But, I would have to say my man, a full-blown Cajun, himself, cooks the best darn gumbo I’ve ever tasted.
Cajuns take their gumbo seriously. In 2009, after the movie “The Princess and the Frog” came out, Disney tried to put up a healthy version of gumbo online, using ingredients such as quinoa, kale and other greens and no roux at all. They received so much backlash from Cajuns all over Louisiana that Disney had to remove it from online. One subscriber from Lafayette wrote that it made him so mad he wanted to punch a baby in the face. Now, that’s pretty darn serious!
INTERESTING BOOKS REFERENCED:
“Who’s Your Mama, Are You Catholic, and Can You Make a Roux?” by Ms. Bienvenu (food memoir)
“The Picayune Creole Cook Book” (1901, early Louisiana recipes)
“Southeast Louisiana Food: A Seasoned Tradition”
“The Settlement of the German Coast in Louisiana and the Creoles of German Descent” (1909)
“The Encyclopedia of Cajun & Creole Cuisine” by John Folse (2004)
BEST CAJUN RESTAURANT’S MENTIONED:
- Mulate’s in Breaux Bridge, LA & also now in New Orleans
- Lafitte’s Landing at Bittersweet Plantation in Donaldsonville, LA (owned by John Folse)
- Commander’s Palace, New Orleans, LA
- Li’l Dizzy’s, New Orleans, LA
- Dooky Chase’s (in the Treme), New Orleans, LA
March 10, 2019
Bonnie's boy takes us into his momma's kitchen for the ultimate gumbo that she created and guides us along with him through the gumbo belt to see how this wonderful dish came to be and how it's evolved. Numerous people make their gumbo different ways, and almost all of them are good. With his special charm in writing, he reminds us of whose gumbo was always best.
July 17, 2019
Its hard to believe you could write an entire book on Gumbo. This is not quite that. It involves the chefs,(their background) recipes, habitats of ingredients and the spread of Louisiana cuisine across the nation. Of course, this is partially a biography of the author and his family but goes way beyond this. Frankly the reason I read this was I am in a signed first edition book club but now I am going to the grocery looking to buy Cajun and Creole products. Great book for a narrow audience.
December 12, 2018
I enjoyed this book! it made me smile reading it. While I'm not from Louisiana, or even French, I enjoy reading about other cultures and particularly Cajun and Creole cultures. I've never eaten gumbo or jambalaya, but have heard about them my entire life! I really just need to get to New Orleans someday to taste the regional dishes. But in the mean time, there are numerous gumbo recipes collected in this book! Thank you, Ken Wells!
October 30, 2018
Ken Wells serves up more than the many delicious ways to cook gumbo in this unexpectedly-moving book. He captures a culture and a way of life that make Louisiana the unique state it is. Reading this book brought back memories of my French grandmother and great-grandmother and reminded me of the wonderful gumbos I have made and eaten, and of the pride I feel in living here.
March 12, 2019
Ken Wells, a journalist with serious cred (he was editor and writer at the Wall Street Journal, for starters) has now brought his considerable writing and reporting skills to a subject long close to his heart - the Gumbo Belt and Pantry of southern Louisiana. Part memoir (with recipes!), part journalistic reporting on the history of Cajun and Creole culture from New Orleans to Texas, and the foodways of the area, Wells writes beautifully of his homeland. He hails from the bayou near Houma, southwest of New Orleans, and he got his start in journalism with the local paper there.
The book is framed around the Cajun/Creole gumbo, a dish with a long and storied history, with influences from West African, Caribbean, French, Spanish, German, and Native American cultures (I've probably left somebody out). While there's a lot of great cooking coming out of the region, the signature dish is gumbo - it's what everybody eats, and it's what's talked about. Your momma always makes the best gumbo, but everyone has their own way of making it, and Wells does a great job in explaining the differences, starting with the foundation of gumbo, the roux. The color of roux is the thing, whether a light pecan color, or all the way down the scale towards a dark chocolate. What makes the best roux? People have been debating this for at least a couple of centuries.
Gumbo is an endlessly flexible dish with no hard or fast rules for preparation - you use what you've got available, with the proteins coming from what you've raised, hunted, trapped, or fished. Nowadays, it's what's looking good at the supermarket. And since the end of the Second World War, with good roads and transportation coming to the south of Louisiana, people are no longer so isolated and have moved away for education and employment. However, just because home is now a northern American city, or London, or Tokyo, or South Africa, it doesn't mean you can't take your gumbo with you. So why not add some lobster into the gumbo pot? It's what's available!
I can't begin to tell you how much I loved this book. Back in the early '90s, I found myself at an American roots music festival in Rhode Island, there mainly because I was looking for something to do. There were south Louisiana cajun and zydeco bands galore, some of the best musicians from that part of the world, and Louisiana vendors who had come up to sell their food and crafts. I loved the music like you wouldn't believe, and as for the food - well, I nearly died. I grew up on good but bland midwestern cooking, and when I tasted my first authentic gumbo with the requisite seasonings, I had a spiritual experience. Really.
Since then, I have visited New Orleans and the Gumbo Belt a few times, devoting my time there to the music and food. I have met, or know of, some of the people Ken Wells writes about in his book, and I can tell you, he spoke with the most passionate and informed people out there regarding gumbo and everything. I've never met Ken Wells, though, and now I really want to. His book is that good. Everybody who eats (and that includes everybody) will find "Gumbo Life" a treasure to read.
The book is framed around the Cajun/Creole gumbo, a dish with a long and storied history, with influences from West African, Caribbean, French, Spanish, German, and Native American cultures (I've probably left somebody out). While there's a lot of great cooking coming out of the region, the signature dish is gumbo - it's what everybody eats, and it's what's talked about. Your momma always makes the best gumbo, but everyone has their own way of making it, and Wells does a great job in explaining the differences, starting with the foundation of gumbo, the roux. The color of roux is the thing, whether a light pecan color, or all the way down the scale towards a dark chocolate. What makes the best roux? People have been debating this for at least a couple of centuries.
Gumbo is an endlessly flexible dish with no hard or fast rules for preparation - you use what you've got available, with the proteins coming from what you've raised, hunted, trapped, or fished. Nowadays, it's what's looking good at the supermarket. And since the end of the Second World War, with good roads and transportation coming to the south of Louisiana, people are no longer so isolated and have moved away for education and employment. However, just because home is now a northern American city, or London, or Tokyo, or South Africa, it doesn't mean you can't take your gumbo with you. So why not add some lobster into the gumbo pot? It's what's available!
I can't begin to tell you how much I loved this book. Back in the early '90s, I found myself at an American roots music festival in Rhode Island, there mainly because I was looking for something to do. There were south Louisiana cajun and zydeco bands galore, some of the best musicians from that part of the world, and Louisiana vendors who had come up to sell their food and crafts. I loved the music like you wouldn't believe, and as for the food - well, I nearly died. I grew up on good but bland midwestern cooking, and when I tasted my first authentic gumbo with the requisite seasonings, I had a spiritual experience. Really.
Since then, I have visited New Orleans and the Gumbo Belt a few times, devoting my time there to the music and food. I have met, or know of, some of the people Ken Wells writes about in his book, and I can tell you, he spoke with the most passionate and informed people out there regarding gumbo and everything. I've never met Ken Wells, though, and now I really want to. His book is that good. Everybody who eats (and that includes everybody) will find "Gumbo Life" a treasure to read.
May 5, 2019
(Review for the SCAPC newsletter)
“Ask any self-respecting Louisianan who makes the best gumbo and the answer is universal: ‘Momma.’” In this newly published culinary memoir, Houma-native Ken Wells shines the spotlight on gumbo and celebrates the spirit of Louisiana home cooking.
Wells starts by giving the history of gumbo, showing the interweaving of cultures that influenced the dish: Creole, Cajun, West African, Native American, even Italian and German. He recounts how gumbo became famous, extended it's reach worldwide, and has met with commercialization. He explores local varieties and interviews several New Orleans restaurants: Commander’s Palace, Dooky Chase’s, Eddie’s, and Li’l Dizzy’s (with several recipes included at the end). He also details his own upbringing in a large Cajun family that lived off of the land in the late 1950s, what he calls “Gumbo’s Pantry”- hunting wild game, collecting seafood, and raising vegetables on their family’s plot.
Reading about his mother’s cooking page after page left my mouth watering and I felt inspired to try the process myself. But I just moved here from California - did I dare to try making something as authentic as gumbo? I could put all the ingredients in a pot but surely I’d miss getting the heart and soul of it right. Still, I pulled out the flour and tried making my first roux. And … it worked! So I tried the next step, and the next, and by dinner time I had something that looked like proper gumbo and more amazingly still, tasted like gumbo. My husband and toddler (both New Orleans natives) asked for seconds. And that’s when I realized the message of ‘Gumbo Life’ – it's not about using a 200-year-old family recipe, a secret ingredient, or even whether you choose roux vs. roux-less, okra vs. filé, sausage vs. racoon – it’s about showing you love someone by taking the time to cook something meaningful and delicious. After all, I’m somebody’s “Momma” now and to him I’ll always make the best gumbo in the world.
“Ask any self-respecting Louisianan who makes the best gumbo and the answer is universal: ‘Momma.’” In this newly published culinary memoir, Houma-native Ken Wells shines the spotlight on gumbo and celebrates the spirit of Louisiana home cooking.
Wells starts by giving the history of gumbo, showing the interweaving of cultures that influenced the dish: Creole, Cajun, West African, Native American, even Italian and German. He recounts how gumbo became famous, extended it's reach worldwide, and has met with commercialization. He explores local varieties and interviews several New Orleans restaurants: Commander’s Palace, Dooky Chase’s, Eddie’s, and Li’l Dizzy’s (with several recipes included at the end). He also details his own upbringing in a large Cajun family that lived off of the land in the late 1950s, what he calls “Gumbo’s Pantry”- hunting wild game, collecting seafood, and raising vegetables on their family’s plot.
Reading about his mother’s cooking page after page left my mouth watering and I felt inspired to try the process myself. But I just moved here from California - did I dare to try making something as authentic as gumbo? I could put all the ingredients in a pot but surely I’d miss getting the heart and soul of it right. Still, I pulled out the flour and tried making my first roux. And … it worked! So I tried the next step, and the next, and by dinner time I had something that looked like proper gumbo and more amazingly still, tasted like gumbo. My husband and toddler (both New Orleans natives) asked for seconds. And that’s when I realized the message of ‘Gumbo Life’ – it's not about using a 200-year-old family recipe, a secret ingredient, or even whether you choose roux vs. roux-less, okra vs. filé, sausage vs. racoon – it’s about showing you love someone by taking the time to cook something meaningful and delicious. After all, I’m somebody’s “Momma” now and to him I’ll always make the best gumbo in the world.
October 6, 2019
I need to preface my review by saying that I'm a vegetarian. This book is more aimed at carnivores, and I'm sure Wells would find my vegetarian gumbo sacrilegious, though he proves to be an adventurous eater. And no, I wouldn't put quinoa in soup and call it gumbo as Disney apparently did (though quinoa soup is delicious in its own right). So maybe Wells will forgive me.
Anyone who is a fan of Louisiana culture or of great food writing will find a lot to love in this book, whether or not you eat chicken, seafood, or sausage, however. It's probably impossible to impart the secrets of a good roux if you're not standing over the pot as Wells describes his mother teaching him (after a failed attempt at providing instructions over the phone). But Wells comes as close as anyone can in numerous descriptions of the gumbo cooking process, as his mother and others he knew growing up did it, as the chefs in a gumbo contest do it, as a number of restaurants do it, and even as a it is done in mammoth kettles for mass production. He even confronts the question of whether gumbo originally was made with a roux or whether that was a later addition, and whether its origins are primarily Cajun, Creole, African, or Native American.
Writing in a lively and entertaining style, Wells always blends the personal story with the history, the science, and the culture of gumbo. Wells chronicles his own fascination with this Cajun/Creole staple, and he documents its history and lore as he explores the culinary diaspora that has made it available around the world, showing his journalism credentials in the depth of research he has done and the number of chefs and others he has interviewed and the number and types of gumbo he has sampled. The recipes collected at the back do not only give a sense of the range of gumbo styles Wells has covered in the preceding pages, they also provide inspiration for continued experimentation with this quintessentially American dish.
Anyone who is a fan of Louisiana culture or of great food writing will find a lot to love in this book, whether or not you eat chicken, seafood, or sausage, however. It's probably impossible to impart the secrets of a good roux if you're not standing over the pot as Wells describes his mother teaching him (after a failed attempt at providing instructions over the phone). But Wells comes as close as anyone can in numerous descriptions of the gumbo cooking process, as his mother and others he knew growing up did it, as the chefs in a gumbo contest do it, as a number of restaurants do it, and even as a it is done in mammoth kettles for mass production. He even confronts the question of whether gumbo originally was made with a roux or whether that was a later addition, and whether its origins are primarily Cajun, Creole, African, or Native American.
Writing in a lively and entertaining style, Wells always blends the personal story with the history, the science, and the culture of gumbo. Wells chronicles his own fascination with this Cajun/Creole staple, and he documents its history and lore as he explores the culinary diaspora that has made it available around the world, showing his journalism credentials in the depth of research he has done and the number of chefs and others he has interviewed and the number and types of gumbo he has sampled. The recipes collected at the back do not only give a sense of the range of gumbo styles Wells has covered in the preceding pages, they also provide inspiration for continued experimentation with this quintessentially American dish.
May 4, 2021
I'm not going to lie: The food was a factor when I decided to move cross-country to New Orleans last year. On the plus side, this city has the best food in the world. On the minus side, I will weigh 400 pounds. I made the move.
So, it can be no surprise that I--if you'll pardon the saying--devoured Gumbo Life. And all I can say is, I'm sure glad I'm not reading it back in San Francisco, because I'd be one sad and hungry girl! Author Ken Wells is a native son of Louisiana. And not the city kind. No, this guy grew up hunting snakes in the bayou... as one does. And his mother's gumbo was like mother's milk. When he left home in adulthood, he had to come crawling home to learn how to make this regional dish that could not, at the time, be reliably found outside his home state.
Mr. Wells documents how the greater world discovered Cajun/Creole cuisine, it's spread, the innovators and evangelists, the hits and the misses. All the while, he keeps things personal. This is a love letter to his native culture, because what is more homey than food?
My first (pandemic) year in New Orleans has been surreal. But even while quarantining in my house, I've come to appreciate how rich the local culture is here. Much more so than where I'm from, or any of the many places I've lived from coast to coast. And there is much about my new home in this book. New Orleans is a gumbo mecca, and now that I am fully vaccinated, I need to make up for lost time. I've got some gumbo to taste! And thanks to Mr. Wells, my appreciation will be all the greater.
So, it can be no surprise that I--if you'll pardon the saying--devoured Gumbo Life. And all I can say is, I'm sure glad I'm not reading it back in San Francisco, because I'd be one sad and hungry girl! Author Ken Wells is a native son of Louisiana. And not the city kind. No, this guy grew up hunting snakes in the bayou... as one does. And his mother's gumbo was like mother's milk. When he left home in adulthood, he had to come crawling home to learn how to make this regional dish that could not, at the time, be reliably found outside his home state.
Mr. Wells documents how the greater world discovered Cajun/Creole cuisine, it's spread, the innovators and evangelists, the hits and the misses. All the while, he keeps things personal. This is a love letter to his native culture, because what is more homey than food?
My first (pandemic) year in New Orleans has been surreal. But even while quarantining in my house, I've come to appreciate how rich the local culture is here. Much more so than where I'm from, or any of the many places I've lived from coast to coast. And there is much about my new home in this book. New Orleans is a gumbo mecca, and now that I am fully vaccinated, I need to make up for lost time. I've got some gumbo to taste! And thanks to Mr. Wells, my appreciation will be all the greater.
April 28, 2023
I haven’t enjoyed a book this much in a long time. It’s a love story to Louisiana, family and, of course, gumbo. It’s a memoir, a history book, a cookbook and a travelogue rolled into one. Everything goes into the pot. Much like gumbo itself, the result is rather magical.
I'm a bit envious of the author's memories of growing up with a gumbo simmering on the stove. Even though my mother grew up not far from him in Gibson (and she was decidedly Catholic - not Methodist), I don't recall gumbo being a staple in our home. That's probably because my father's family stuck to its Texas roots despite settling in Houma.
As an adult, I taught myself how to make a roux using a cookbook and fiddled with it until I was satisfied with the results. Now, I just whisk the flour and oil together and bang the pot into a low oven for two hours. My sister uses jarred roux (I would never). So, I nodded appreciatively at the passages on gentle differences over how to make a roux. And I loved the trips into celebrity kitchens famous for their gumbos.
I also loved the homage to Louisiana's natural beauty. There wouldn't be gumbo without the "pantry" that sits outside so many residents' back doors. With coastal erosion, the pantry is shrinking and upsetting a generational way of life in Louisiana.
I'm a bit envious of the author's memories of growing up with a gumbo simmering on the stove. Even though my mother grew up not far from him in Gibson (and she was decidedly Catholic - not Methodist), I don't recall gumbo being a staple in our home. That's probably because my father's family stuck to its Texas roots despite settling in Houma.
As an adult, I taught myself how to make a roux using a cookbook and fiddled with it until I was satisfied with the results. Now, I just whisk the flour and oil together and bang the pot into a low oven for two hours. My sister uses jarred roux (I would never). So, I nodded appreciatively at the passages on gentle differences over how to make a roux. And I loved the trips into celebrity kitchens famous for their gumbos.
I also loved the homage to Louisiana's natural beauty. There wouldn't be gumbo without the "pantry" that sits outside so many residents' back doors. With coastal erosion, the pantry is shrinking and upsetting a generational way of life in Louisiana.
August 25, 2019
CBR Bingo - Birthday! I don't think I'm alone in this, but at the launch of CBR Bingo I already had a few books in the queue so I am doing what I can to find space on the bingo card for them, at times having to pull off a bit of a shoehorn situation. And thus, I discovered the Ken Wells' birthday was August 5th. BOOM. SQUARED. Also, after reading this book, I sent the following Facebook message to the author. No response yet, but starting my review with it as I think it gives context into my reading of this tasty tasty book.
Hi there, I hope this isn't too weird, but I wanted to start with saying I really liked your book! Just finished it yesterday. As you'll note, we have a few Facebook friends in common because I'm from Thibodaux. My best friend for life is your second (third?) cousin Grant Toups. And I took English with Ellie Toups back in the day. Also, I now live in Chicagoland in the NW suburbs (as of two and a half years ago) so your journey and quest for Gumbo, really resonated with me as I adjust to being away from the south. In fact, I only started my own gumbo making journey after moving here, when it became apparently I'd need to do so to survive. Anyhoo, I'll quit my ramble now. I'll be returning the libraries copy of your book, but i have it in my Amazon queue to purchase because I'm going to need to try those recipes! Hope you have a great day! (Just noticed this ramble is riddled with typos. Please don't let that reflect on either Mrs. Ellie, or my education in English from Centenary College, just hurried typing).
This book is equal parts cookbook, history lesson, and autobiography. Overall Wells does a good job balancing these three priorities, but if I have any criticism it's that some of the history bits drag on a little. It's clear that Wells wrote this as a bit of a love letter to Louisiana, and to this dish, so it's understandable that he loses himself a little in the telling of it. If you've ever had the phenomena that is gumbo you might be interested in learning how it has come to make such an imprint on the culinary world.
I learned a lot from this book, but my biggest takeaway is that maybe I shouldn't be such an uncompromising fuddy-duddy when it comes to gumbo. Interpretations don't take away from the original, but the original for me is where my heart lies.
Hi there, I hope this isn't too weird, but I wanted to start with saying I really liked your book! Just finished it yesterday. As you'll note, we have a few Facebook friends in common because I'm from Thibodaux. My best friend for life is your second (third?) cousin Grant Toups. And I took English with Ellie Toups back in the day. Also, I now live in Chicagoland in the NW suburbs (as of two and a half years ago) so your journey and quest for Gumbo, really resonated with me as I adjust to being away from the south. In fact, I only started my own gumbo making journey after moving here, when it became apparently I'd need to do so to survive. Anyhoo, I'll quit my ramble now. I'll be returning the libraries copy of your book, but i have it in my Amazon queue to purchase because I'm going to need to try those recipes! Hope you have a great day! (Just noticed this ramble is riddled with typos. Please don't let that reflect on either Mrs. Ellie, or my education in English from Centenary College, just hurried typing).
This book is equal parts cookbook, history lesson, and autobiography. Overall Wells does a good job balancing these three priorities, but if I have any criticism it's that some of the history bits drag on a little. It's clear that Wells wrote this as a bit of a love letter to Louisiana, and to this dish, so it's understandable that he loses himself a little in the telling of it. If you've ever had the phenomena that is gumbo you might be interested in learning how it has come to make such an imprint on the culinary world.
I learned a lot from this book, but my biggest takeaway is that maybe I shouldn't be such an uncompromising fuddy-duddy when it comes to gumbo. Interpretations don't take away from the original, but the original for me is where my heart lies.
September 7, 2019
Needed a change of pace book and thought this would be a good read. I don't know much about gumbo or US Southern food so this seemed like a great book. I had the vague idea of what gumbo is, but I also understood that there was any number of influences or histories or sources so I was curious to see what Wells would say.
In a mix of memoir, history, foodie examination, Wells takes the reader through what gumbo is, the peoples involved in what it is today, what its place is in cuisine, who eats it, what's in it (duh!), and more. He goes to restaurants, visits a gumbo contest, talks about his own experiences with gumbo, etc.
I admit, this wasn't for me. In some places, the book is really interesting, such as the very beginning when he talks about cuisines, basic history, the different types of foods and ingredients, etc. But there are times when the book really drags. It felt like the book had good text, but really could have benefited from another pass from an editor to refining certain parts.
Library borrow was best for me.
In a mix of memoir, history, foodie examination, Wells takes the reader through what gumbo is, the peoples involved in what it is today, what its place is in cuisine, who eats it, what's in it (duh!), and more. He goes to restaurants, visits a gumbo contest, talks about his own experiences with gumbo, etc.
I admit, this wasn't for me. In some places, the book is really interesting, such as the very beginning when he talks about cuisines, basic history, the different types of foods and ingredients, etc. But there are times when the book really drags. It felt like the book had good text, but really could have benefited from another pass from an editor to refining certain parts.
Library borrow was best for me.
April 17, 2020
Savoring "Gumbo Life". Ken Wells, you are so much fun to read. I was always a Jamie Lee Burke reader and enjoyed New Iberia, but got tired of his family and friends being killed in every book.
Especially enjoy stories about squirrel brains, capturing snakes and all the fine gumbo chefs. Oh, yeah, and your grandmother "murdering" chickens. Reminds me of my Grandmother Rose, the midwife of SW Pa, who killed chickens while raising six children. Probably because she had six children.
Dizzy about making gumbo myself. Made it before inauthentically, if that's a word. But I have the two martini timing down pretty well. Ordered some products mentioned in the book from cajungrocer.com. Awaiting their arrival in this coronavirus era. New Orleans, my dear, another trip is in order.
Bayou destruction is really sad. It seems so with wetlands everywhere except around the Great Lakes where Mother Nature has decided to teach man/woman a lesson by raising the levels of the Great Lakes.
Especially enjoy stories about squirrel brains, capturing snakes and all the fine gumbo chefs. Oh, yeah, and your grandmother "murdering" chickens. Reminds me of my Grandmother Rose, the midwife of SW Pa, who killed chickens while raising six children. Probably because she had six children.
Dizzy about making gumbo myself. Made it before inauthentically, if that's a word. But I have the two martini timing down pretty well. Ordered some products mentioned in the book from cajungrocer.com. Awaiting their arrival in this coronavirus era. New Orleans, my dear, another trip is in order.
Bayou destruction is really sad. It seems so with wetlands everywhere except around the Great Lakes where Mother Nature has decided to teach man/woman a lesson by raising the levels of the Great Lakes.
May 28, 2019
Stumbled across this one on the "New books" shelves in my local library, so it was a serendipity pick. I've always loved spicy Cajun/creole food, and this was a nice primer about the food, the differences between the two and gumbo tales from an author who grew up deep in the heart of Louisiana gumbo country...and continues to eat, cook and spread the gospel of gumbo with, among other things, this new book. I loved learning more about the cuisine, even if I have no gift for such soulful booking...but Wells helpfully includes a number of recipes at the end of his book for those who are adventurous cooks who have ambitions of learning to cook authentic gumbo and other Gumbo Belt dishes.
March 5, 2020
Wells explains Cajuns, backwoods life, and the power of gumbo as perhaps only he could -- someone from this wonderful place who went on to a long journalism career at the Wall Street Journal. Of Louisiana cooking and the many cultures that created it, he says, "It's the story of jazz but writ in food, and gumbo is the high note." After his mother serves gumbo to her big family, tastes it, and knows it's good: ". . . my mother is at peace, totally certain she has created something that flies so close to love that it must be love itself." This book prompted many texts between me and my gumbo-cooking sons. I give it 4.5 stars.
May 11, 2025
The book I needed to read NOW. As a transplant, the swamps beckon, the Story is Real. Finding my faith in the most Catholic of cities, Wells has really impacted the love for food and general, gumbo in particular. A magic that transcends whatever bullshit is occurring today. It reminds us to preserve our precious land we've claimed through work and struggle and determination; to value our community, to realize we are all in this together. And to rejoice with the feeling of home, of love. Beautiful art, communal, humanity at its best. Cannot find it but here.
April 29, 2019
Slowly winds like a bayou through the past and present of gumbo, the City of New Orleans, and the author’s family history, mainly set in and around Houma, Louisiana. After the first 100 pages I wondered how much more there was to say about this iconic dish, but the author keeps it interesting, gives us a tour of New Orleans, his hometown of Houma and surrounding areas, the ins and outs of how to prepare several types of gumbo. I enjoyed reading it, and finished hungry.
March 24, 2020
This was a fun read and desperately made me want to go back to New Orleans. I enjoyed all the food talk and the history of gumbo but it felt like something was missing. Even though the Wells grew up in the area eating gumbo from the minute he was born, the writing felt a bit too reporter-y and near the end I noticed quite a few errors (which always bothers me, maybe more than it should). Overall I liked the book and it took me back to one of my favorite places on Earth.
June 16, 2021
Everybody likes a good gumbo. Ken Wells tells us where it came from, how it’s made, and how it’s evolving. He talks to professional chefs and home cooks, participates in New Iberia’s big annual Gumbo Cook-off, and shares some recipes. He also relates some of his own family’s history in Louisiana’s Gumbo Belt. An entertaining, informative book - but now I’m hungry for some gumbo! (We did make a batch of his roux-less lobster gumbo and it was a great success.)
September 12, 2021
An excellent and extremely interesting food history read! I've been making gumbo for 15+ years, and although I have never been to NOLA, I was surprised at how familiar I was with the vernacular and techniques described. I also feel vindicated knowing that the author's mother, an expert gumbo chef, never puts okra in her chicken and sausage gumbo...neither do I!! Now I need to go and make a pot of gumbo...and some beignets!
August 12, 2019
I received an ARC copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The history of gumbo is long and intense. So many variations, so many opinions. Ken Wells does a good job of covering the many sides. His own background adds even more flavor. I don't know how anyone could read this without getting hungry.
The history of gumbo is long and intense. So many variations, so many opinions. Ken Wells does a good job of covering the many sides. His own background adds even more flavor. I don't know how anyone could read this without getting hungry.
April 10, 2023
I love gumbo, but I didn't think a book about it could be this interesting until I read Gumbo Tales. I learned a lot, enjoyed reading about the many ways gumbo is entwined with life in Louisiana, and came away inspired to think about my own recipes in a new way.
April 25, 2019
Fantastic. Will make you crave Gumbo. Loved it.
Read
July 3, 2019informative, entertaining and now I'm dying for some gumbo!!!
September 26, 2019
Anyone from Louisiana would love this book!
January 13, 2020
Really enjoyed this one.
March 4, 2020
Wonderful wonderful story!
January 8, 2025
I’m not the target audience because I rarely cook and read this for a work function. It was interesting enough, but it got hard to keep track of the terminology.
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