Earlier this March, Tina Knowles – mother of beloved Houston superstar, Beyonce Knowles — debuted her Creole eatery, “Mama Tina’s Gumbo” at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. This past Monday, however, the Houston Health Department forced Knowles to close her gumbo stand per a “complaint investigation“.
Per fans, Tina Knowles’ gumbo has been the subject of Knowles family lore. As a Galveston native with creole roots, Tina Knowles revealed that it was the first recipe that she even mastered. The recipe, according to her, takes from 14 – 20 hours to prepare. For the first time, fans were able to try her famous gumbo at her Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo pop-up.
This past Monday, however, Mama Tina’s Gumbo was forced to temporarily close per a investigation by the Houston Health Department. As stated, however, the closure was only temporary. Per both the health department and the Houston Rodeo, Mama Tina’s Gumbo was compliant during the brief investigation which was reopened as of March 17.
See the Houston Houston Health Department’s statement here:
“On Monday, March 16, 2026, the Houston Health Department issued a temporary closure of Mama Tina’s Gumbo booth at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo as a result of a complaint investigation. The vendor was cooperative with the department’s recommendations and passed a subsequent inspection.“
See the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo’s statement here:
To our knowledge, Mama Tina’s has been cooperative with the City of Houston Health Department and has worked closely with them to address the identified clerical issues. Mama Tina’s has since reopened under the guidance of the Houston Health Department.
Now reopen, Mama Tina’s Gumbo offers two of Knowles’ signature recipes: Seafood Gumbo – priced at $25, includes beef sausage, shrimp, chicken, and blue crab – and Chicken & Sausage Gumbo, which is as the name suggest, priced at $23.
Mama Tina’s Gumbo is located at J604 near the MetroRail exit.
