Treme Creole Gumbo Festival in New Orleans

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation will present the first annual Treme Creole Gumbo Festival on Saturday, Dec. 13, and the third annual Holiday Bazaar Dec. 13 and 14.

The Treme Creole Gumbo Festival celebrates the history of Faubourg Treme as a hotbed of New Orleans' musical and culinary culture.

The festival takes place on Saturday, Dec. 13, from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., in the parking lot of the new Jazz & Heritage Center (formerly the Tharp-Sontheimer- Laudumiey Funeral Home) at 1225 N. Rampart Street. Admission is free.

This unique event features outstanding musical performers, including:

9:45 a.m. - The Heritage School of Music Allstars
11:00 a.m. - Davis Rogan
12:30 p.m. - The Treme Brass Band
2:00 p.m. - Shannon Powell Quartet
3:30 p.m. - Shamarr Allen
5:00 p.m. - John Boutte, Leroy Jones, Paul Sanchez and Todd Duke

In addition, two famous Creole chefs will demonstrate the secrets to making the perfect gumbo:
11:45 a.m. - Chef Alfred Singleton (Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse)
1:15 p.m. - Chef Leah Chase (Dooky Chase Restaurant)

Several of the most outstanding New Orleans Creole restaurants will be on hand selling their own takes on gumbo and other local delicacies.

Participating restaurants include: Dookey Chase, Dunbar's Creole Cooking, Li'l Dizzy's and Olivier's Creole Restaurant.

The festival coincides with the third annual Jazz & Heritage Holiday Bazaar - a special sale of official Jazz Fest t-shirts, posters and other collectibles, plus locally made wearable art, jewelry and fine crafts for the home.

The Jazz & Heritage Holiday Bazaar takes place in the Jazz & Heritage Gallery, 1205 N. Rampart Street. The Holiday Bazaar hours are 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 13, and noon to 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 14.

Treme Creole Gumbo Festival is produced and presented by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation. Co-sponsors include the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities and the Southern Food and Beverage Museum.

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation, Inc. is the nonprofit organization that owns the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell. The Foundation uses the proceeds from Jazz Fest for year-round activities in the areas of education, economic development and cultural programming.

For more information, please call (504) 558-6100, or visit the Foundation's website.