Defining
New Orleans cooking are the terms “Creole” and “Cajun”.
A word whose meaning has been transformed over the years, Creole
generally refers to anything native to New Orleans. Traditionally
it described a person of French and Spanish roots born in the
colonies. Recently it has come to include African in the mix.
When referring to food, it refers to more sophisticated city cooking
typical of New Orleans.
“Cajun” describes cooking from Southwest Louisiana –
the legacy of the Acadians, descendants of French Canadian communities
in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick expelled by the British in the
middle 1700’s. Rich, hearty and often spicy are the characterics
of Cajun cooking. With other ethnic influences playing a part
in both types of cooking, the lines separating these two culinary
styles have become as fuzzy as the outer skin of the green spindly
okra.
The Gumbo Shop is located in one of America’s most historic
neighborhoods – the “Vieux Carre” (French for “old
square”), also known as the French Quarter. Open since the
1920’s as a restaurant, according to veteran New Orleans
architect Henry Krotzer, this Louisiana Colonial townhouse is
one of a handful of 18th century buildings left in the Quarter.
The structure was built in 1795 to replace a building that was
destroyed in the devastating 1794 fire that started around the
corner from the restaurant and almost wiped out the city. There
was a commercial establishment downstairs and a residence above,
typical of land use at that time. Among its more illustrious inhabitants
was John Watkins, who was Mayor of New Orleans in the early 1800’s.
The ground floor of the 200 year-old building was once a woodworking
shop.
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