Mexico Beach hosted its 25th Annual Gumbo Cook off

BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – You could definitely smell what Mexico Beach was cooking Saturday morning. They held their 25th annual Gumbo cook-off.

The event was held at Boat Ramp Park just off Highway 98.

There was a gumbo and a Brunswick Stew division, with cash prizes for the top 3 in each category.

There were also awards for best team spirit and best Mardi Gras decorations.

Barbeque Monsters won first place in the gumbo division, and second in Brunswick stew.

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“When we cooked back in ’18, I thought that our stew would be better. I never cooked gumbo. And now we’re back-to-back champs and gumbo. So everything turned out really great today. I got a great crew. We’re just blessed to be here and having fun and helping raise money,” Bar-b-que Monsters team leader David Braun said.

Tickets for taste testing were being sold on-site for $1 each.

While the public enjoyed sampling from the various vendors, they also appreciated being able to engage with their local community.

“Everybody likes to check this town out on the Internet. Here’s an opportunity to meet the town. The vendors are the people of this town. So you get to meet the town. You get to try some fun food. There’s a ton of people here with children and dogs and beads, and it’s just a lot of fun,” attendee Jessica Durand said.

Besides the gumbo, there were also hot dogs, desserts, as well as beer and wine for the attendees to enjoy as well.

The proceeds will go towards funding the city’s Fourth of July fireworks.

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