When you think of the World’s Championship Duck Calling Contest and the Wings Over the Prairie Festival, it’s hard to imagine the weekend without its Duck Gumbo Cook-off competition, but that wasn’t always the case.
Prior to the 1980s, the festival included several events where food was a focal point. In the 1970s, there were a handful of Critter Suppers and the legendary Sportsman’s Dinner and Dance held the Friday night following Thanksgiving.
In 1980, the first Duck Gumbo Cook-off competition was put together, and since then, there has not been a festival without the free-spirited food contest. Because of COVID-19, the festival was canceled in 2020, making this year the 40th year for Duck Gumbo or just “Gumbo,” as it is commonly known.
“The same crowd who would go to the Critter Supper started going to Gumbo because who doesn’t like gumbo in November?” Curtis Ahrens, Duck Gumbo Planning Committee chairperson, said.
Over the years, there have been articles and stories written and broadcasted about the Duck Gumbo Cook-off. ESPN even covered the event at least one time and it’s a two-time finalist for a food-related event in the Arkansas Food Hall of Fame. If you are a resident of Stuttgart, you’ve either been to Duck Gumbo or have heard stories about what goes on in the big tent every year on the Saturday following Thanksgiving.
Ahrens has been a member of the gumbo planning committee since 2005, but his involvement with the event goes back to the 1980s, not long after the first Gumbo was held.
“I was at the second Gumbo,” he said. “I don’t know why I wasn’t at the first Gumbo, but I wasn’t.”
Ahrens said even though the event was relatively new, it was crowded.
“(Gumbo) started off with about 25 to 30 teams in the old armory. That’s all that would fit in the building,” he said. “(At the second Gumbo) there was a big crowd. It always had a big following.”
He said when the Duck Gumbo Cook-off replaced the Critter Supper, those who attended the supper began going to Gumbo.
“There was always a really good crowd, even early on,” Ahrens said.
As time passed, the Sportsman’s Dinner and Dance fell by the wayside, and Duck Gumbo became the party of the festival.
But, it’s more than a party. It’s a serious competition, and the winner walks away with the title of World’s Best Duck Gumbo.
When the event moved to the “big tent” in Producer’s Lot on North Park Ave., Ahrens said the event doubled the number of teams competing.
“Now, we have 55 teams competing in the cook-off,”Ahrens said. “About half the teams are local and the other half are from all over the country.”
If you want to get in on the competition and see if you have what it takes to claim the title of “best gumbo,” you’ll have to get in line.
Right now, there are about 30 names on the waiting list. Ahrens said some of those names have been waiting for 12 years or longer to get a spot in the competition. He said the competitors and the judges take their gumbo seriously.
“The gumbo is blind judged,”Ahrens said. “No one knows you win until the number of the winner is announced. Then, the head cook will look to see if they are the winner.”
During the judging process, twenty-five teams provide a judge for the competition. Upon arrival at Gumbo, the head cook is given an identification number. Each cup is labeled with the identification number, which only the lead cook is given and they keep it top secret until the winner’s number is announced.
“The process is completely blind,” Ahrens said. “No one knows which team made what gumbo during the judging process.”
The team judges select the top 10 gumbo recipes, and then celebrity judges select the winner.
“We’ve had radio and TV personalities come to judge the gumbo over the years,” Ahrens said.
The celebrity judges for this year’s gumbo have not been announced as of press time. Besides the judges, other celebrities have attended Gumbo as guests over the years. The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders have performed and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is a frequent visitor to Gumbo.The Budweiser Girls have even made an appearance.
In order to compete, each team must make three quarts of gumbo. Fifty percent of the meat in the recipe must be duck.
Teams start cooking on Saturday at 10 a.m. and judging takes place at 3 p.m.
While the gumbo takes center stage during the competition, the teams’ booths provide the atmosphere for the event.
“We will have teams come in on Friday to work on their booths,” Ahrens said. “We have some really elaborate booths. Having the best booth is almost as big of a deal as having the best gumbo.”
He said in addition to gumbo sampling, visitors can visit each booth as the gumbo is cooking and enjoy snacks. An award is given out for the best booth.
“We have some booths that are two-story,” Athens said. “They are really something to see!”
This year’s event is sponsored by Michelob Ultra, which is locally distributed by Ludwig Distributing.
“For a lot of years, it was the Budweiser Duck Gumbo Cookoff,” he explained. “Then, it was Miller Lite, Bud Light, and now, Michelob Ultra.”
He said Anheuser-Busch wanted its best-selling beer to sponsor the event, so this is the first year for the Michelob Ultra Duck Gumbo Cook-off.
Ahrens said the event is open to individuals who are at least 21-years-old. He said first-time gumbo attendees can expect to buy a ticket at the entrance. Admission tickets are $20. Upon arrival, they will also be prompted to purchase Duck Bucks, which can be used to purchase drinks or t-shirts at the event.
Teams will provide snacks for the public to sample. Once the gumbo is ready, everyone can sample the different gumbo recipes. Live music is provided during the event.
“Duck Gumbo is a bucket list item,” Ahrens said. “Everyone needs to come to gumbo at least once.”
He said safety is the top priority for the organizers, so there is a lot of security.
“We have security in plain clothes as well as officers in uniform there to provide security,” Ahrens said. “We want to provide a safe environment for a good time.”
Gumbo-goers can expect their armbands to be cut before they leave.
“We want to make sure no one underage gets into Gumbo, so we cut the armbands when you leave to help with that,” he explained.
Ahrens said the event usually wraps up around 5 p.m. Once the event is over, Ahrens and about 75 volunteers will begin taking down the big tent.
“It usually takes up about a week to get ready, and a week to break it all down afterwards,” he said. “An event of this magnitude doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a while.”
Then, the planning for next year begins.
Photos courtesy of the Stuttgart Chamber of Commerce.
