This year, the bontemps of Mardi Gras gets an extension with the Backbone Boudin and Gumbo Festival Sunday, March 12 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., as many Texas favorite barbecue restaurants, pit masters and chefs will be sampling their best boudin dishes and gumbo at the Devil’s Backbone Tavern.
“It’s turning into something really unique,” said Backbone Tavern co-owner Robyn Ludwick. “It’s going to be something you won’t see anywhere else.”
The festival got its start on Mardi Gras 2020, right before the world shut down for the Covid-19 quarantine. “For Fat Tuesday, we decided to have a gumbo cookoff,” Ludwick said. “We invited the community for a five bucks entry to bring your best crock pot of already cooked gumbo. It was the most fun, old school like you would see in the 50s when the whole community shows up. That was our first clue of how important community is to the bar.”
