Today we’d like to introduce you to Yendi and Barry Thompson.
Yendi and Barry, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I watched my mother make gumbo for my entire life and people line up with their Tupperware containers at her house just to get her gumbo. This was a tradition in my house if she made gumbo all her friends were coming. She learned it from her father and mother. My mom never taught me how to make it and honestly never allowed me in the kitchen because she couldn’t talk and cook. Lol.
By default and bloodline I’m a 4th generation gumbo maker. We have food in our blood. My dad owned BBQ restaurant in California. My brother is celebrity chef and my younger brother owns Houston most popular restaurant. We all somehow got in food and was never showed how to cook we just have it in our blood, Any who I knew I wanted to learn my mom’s secret to cooking gumbo so about two years ago I finally watched her make it and then I went home to try my hands at it and I nailed it first try. My husband and I started bottling it and selling it on the streets and door to door delivery.
During my childhood my lil brother and I traveled to over 70 countries, so I’ve seen so many types of food. So, I thought I want to bring some unique foods mixed with my Cajun roots and my mother’ Shirley delish foods I grew up on. So came about Supreme Gumbo modernizing my mother’s 50-year recipe and tradition.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Nope hasn’t been easy. Our culture is so funny about eating other people’s gumbo that’s not they grand mama or their momma’s gumbo. So convincing people that lil ol me knows how to make gumbo is always a feat. Then when they taste they are always like that’s some good gumbo. My husband and I have worn over the true Cajuns and the old-school true-blue gumbo heads. That’s the crowd I wanted to win over they are the toughest group to break. It took us forever to get our lil food trailer, but we finally have it. Especially with covid woes but we’re thankful and fortunate to be able to have it during this difficult time. It’s a weird time to launch a new buis but we figure hey people got to eat. We’ve been married for 20 years this December so we’ve trials fails and wins so whatever comes our way we’re ready for it be it good or bad. That’s life, it won’t always be amazing, so we never let obstacles stop us.
Supreme Gumbo – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We specialize I authentic Cajun gumbo. No creole gumbo although I can make that too. However, Cajun is what I grew up on so that’s what I make. We are also extra proud of our Gumbo Stuffed Quesadillas. First of its kind. Created here made here. We wanted something extra unique, so I thought of this and made it work and now winning the Hispanic community over and my community as well. It’s a weird concept to wrap your mind around but through trial and error I made it work. Fashion is my background, so I don’t give up I’m determined to make it work. And when you taste it your like wow. It’s a luxury quesadilla if there was ever such a thing. Our crispy catfish is bomb too and my husband is from Philly, so we have a delicious Philly cheeseburger where we merged my Htown thirward roots with his Philly roots and came up with our own take and stank on a Philly.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Hmmmm. I don’t believe in luck just hard work and dedication and whatever is for us is for us and whatever isn’t isn’t… But for us it’s about being ready, so we don’t have to get ready so when an opportunity comes our way, we’re able to accept it. Like we had a call from Target they’ve made us their partners now and we had to cater their first ever Juneteenth celebration for all of their staff. We didn’t have the truck yet, but we made it happen and turned out great. So things like that.
Pricing:
- Gumbo Quesadilla $17
- Supreme Platters (for the ballers who wanna ball out ) starting at $45 a new item we’re adding
- Philly cheesesteak burger 11.75
- Gumbo made on Friday’s only during the hot months. Sold by the Quart $20.00
Contact Info:
- Phone: 8324399116
- Email: supremegumbo@gmail.com
- Instagram: Supremegumbo
- Facebook: Supremegumbo
- Other: Tik tok. Supreme Gumbo
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