Mama Tina’s Gumbo Shut Down At Houston Rodeo + Reopens Days Later After Health Department Intervention

Tina Knowles

Mama Tina’s Gumbo Shut Down At Houston Rodeo + Reopens Days Later After Health Department Intervention

More details are emerging about the temporary shutdown of Mama Tina’s Gumbo at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, after health inspectors uncovered a series of serious food safety violations tied to a reported illness.

The Houston Health Department launched an investigation following a March 16 complaint from a customer who said she became sick after eating the gumbo, reporting symptoms including vomiting, chills, nausea, fever, and claiming she was “throwing up blood.”

Inspectors discovered the gumbo had been prepared off-site, cooled and stored in non-food grade orange buckets, then transported from an unlicensed facility without proper temperature logs. They also observed thawed shrimp and crab labeled “keep frozen” being used for service.

As a result, all prepared gumbo was discarded. Violations included improper food storage, lack of temperature documentation, unapproved food sourcing, missing date marking, and failure to keep frozen items frozen.

“Operators were very cooperative and asked questions about how to gain compliance with the department. Operators stated that they will cease food preparation at an off-site facility and only prepared foods on-site, pending department’s approval of the new permit application,” officials said.

After making corrections, the vendor was cleared to reopen the next day.