by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
Each year, festivals bring thousands of people Downtown. Also each year, the season begins with a gumbo-cooking contest and festival hosted by Parrot Heads in Natural Settings (PHiNS), the local Jimmy Buffett fan club.
Saturday marked the 6th edition of the event, which supports Gleaners Dispatch, a nonprofit organization that collects food and distributes it to people in need.
A record 18 teams set up their cookers to donate their time and ingredients, while guests purchased wristbands to sample the chefs’ creations with all the funds raised donated to the charity.
Guests also voted for their favorite gumbo and for the third time, the “Gumboholics” team received the People’s Choice Award. In addition to the club members’ entries, the restaurant category debuted this year and the team from Tidbits took top honors.
There’s also a “Best Showmanship” prize, which went to the elaborate tiki hut set up by Jackson’s Grill.
Last year, the festival raised $2,000 for Gleaners Dispatch. PHiNS spokeswoman Debbie Renfroe said the club will be able to double that contribution this year. “The Gleaners are not struggling to collect food, they’re struggling to deliver it with gas prices the way they are. That’s why we’re glad to do this every year,” said Veronica McDowell, a member of the “Therapy Gumbo” team.
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