Tina Knowles’ gumbo booth at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo drew major attention this week after a brief health department shutdown, adding an unexpected twist to one of the event’s most talked-about food pop-ups.
The 72-year-old entrepreneur, known to many as the mother of Beyoncé and Solange Knowles, launched “Mama Tina’s Gumbo” at the Houston Rodeo earlier this month. The booth, located near the Ferris wheel, began serving customers on March 2 and was scheduled to run through March 22, following her late February announcement on social media.
Ms. Tina introduced the venture with a video set to These Boots Are Made for Walkin’, showing her stepping into a kitchen in cowgirl boots and preparing a large pot of gumbo branded with her logo. In the clip, she described the launch as a long-awaited moment, noting that people had been asking for her gumbo for years.
Her menu featured two options: a seafood gumbo with beef sausage, chicken, shrimp, and blue crab priced at $25, and a chicken-and-sausage version selling for $23. The booth quickly became a popular stop, attracting steady lines and a mix of everyday visitors and familiar faces.
That momentum was briefly interrupted on March 16, when the Houston Health Department issued a temporary closure following a complaint investigation. In a statement to PEOPLE on March 18, Theresa Tran confirmed that officials stepped in and paused food production at the booth.
According to Tran, the vendor cooperated with all recommendations during the inspection process. After addressing the concerns raised, the booth passed a follow-up inspection and was cleared to reopen the next day, March 17.
Despite the short-lived shutdown, business quickly resumed, and customers returned.
