Gumbo House continues to share Cajun cuisine while serving the community

Preparing a meal for those you love is the ultimate gift of giving, and Houma native Philip Toups is not only using his talent to spread love through south Louisiana dishes, but also to help those in need. Toups was born and raised in Houma, and a graduate of Terrebonne High School. He inherited a love for culinary arts as child from his parents. Toups said one his fondest memories from his childhood was sitting at the dinner table to have supper with his parents. “Every Sunday when we’d return from church, we’d have supper in our dining room. That is the only time we’d use that room, and it became one of our family traditions,” said Toups as he reflected on his childhood.

Following graduation, Toups decided to move to Washington, D.C. Eventually, he found himself  craving the south Louisiana food he grew up eating. “I started to become home sick and missed the way my parents cooked every night. I missed those Sunday dinners in our dining room. It was really special for us to be there as a family and that was one of the main things I missed when moving to D.C.,” said Toups. His longing for cajun dishes inspired Toups to begin preparing meals for himself, phoning his parents back in Houma daily to share recipes. After months of cooking for himself, he discovered his passion for culinary arts and decided to share his love of Louisiana culture with others.

Toups began hosting what he described as Cajun-style dinner parties with friends, which became a fundraising effort for those in need. “I started cooking and I discovered that I loved it. When you cook south Louisiana food, it isn’t just for one person. I found my friends coming over for dinner,” shared Toups. “I decided to set it up like a Sunday supper.”

In May of 1994, Toups founded Gumbo House, hosting monthly dinner parties, and featuring classic Louisiana dishes. Toups said the name Gumbo House was chosen from a nickname given by his friends. “I jokingly made a sign for my front door that said Gumbo House because my friends named it that. It isn’t the only thing I made, but gumbo is synonymous for Louisiana, so my friends coined my condo the Gumbo House.”

Nearly 30 years later, Toups said that Gumbo House has evolved into something much bigger than he expected. What started out as small dinner parties to bridge over a 1000 mile gap from Houma to Washington, D.C. has turned into dinners to serve the community. Each year since its founding, Gumbo House has helped those in need in Terrebonne Parish, including a partnership with Hope Restored Pregnancy Resource Center.

“In high school I had a friend who had a baby at a very young age, and she had nothing. I’ve always had a soft spot for single moms who are having their first child and it seemed like this was the perfect way for me to help. I think to date we’ve helped out at least 1,600 to 1,700 moms,” said Toups. “I was raised to believe everyone has an obligation to give back. I always wanted Gumbo House to not only be a way for me to enjoy cooking, entertaining, and to share south Louisiana with friends, but I also wanted it to have another purpose, and that’s giving back to the community.”

In addition to helping those in need, Toups has also evolved as a cook. He’s used his passion to publish three cookbooks with hundreds of Louisiana recipes and participated in gourmet cook-offs. Toups said his favorite meals to prepare is his famous Mardi Gras shrimp and grits, jambalaya, gumbo, and etouffee.

Two months ago the gumbo guru decided to pack his bags and move back to where it all started, Washington, D.C., while promising to continue hosting events in his hometown. “I moved back because I love this area, I still have a lot of friends here, and I missed it. One of the things I love the most is, I get to spread the love of south Louisiana here. I have friends from across the country who love our culture, and I love to not only brag on it, but share it as well. I was offered a job which will help me give back even more, so I’m really excited about that. I felt like in this season of my life it was time for me to come. Even though I’ve moved back to D.C., my Christmas party is still going to benefit Hope Restored. I’m just going to mail everything down to Houma. So far, I’ve already gotten 25 friends to start shopping for the kids,” said Toups.

As Toups settles into his second home, he said he’ll be providing support to those in need in Washington, D.C. as well. Once a month, he’ll cook for 100 people at a homeless shelter, sharing his passion. Toups said his plans for the future are to continue to cook, but more often. “I really love to cook south Louisiana food and make people happy. Literally, I am not offended when you fall asleep after you eat your dessert, mission accomplished,” shared Toups. “Even though I’m not in the area anymore, you can never take the Louisiana boy out of me. Moving back home has not only helped me evolve as a cook, but it has helped Gumbo House evolve as well. That may have never happened if I didn’t return to Houma.”