Warm Up This Weekend at Wujin With Shrimp Gumbo and Other Fixins by Eric de Fontenay

Even though Spring Festival has come and gone, it seems spring is still a long way off, with the coldest days of the year set to hit Beijing in the coming week.

With this in mind, there’s probably no better way to get cozy than with a Cajun classic – gumbo.

You can do just that this Friday and Saturday at Wujin, with shrimp gumbo cooked up by Eric de Fontenay. As it turns out, there’s more to the MusicDish*China founder than just music, as we found out while quizzing him about this upcoming event.

So the music enthusiast is also the chef! How long have you been cooking, and is Louisiana cuisine a specialty?
People often misunderstand me and think my life passion is music. But actually, it is culture writ large – anything that connects people with their soul. Music accomplishes this in a visceral way, and so does food. My parents were incredible cooks and I spent my childhood observing. When I left home at 17, that’s when I picked up the mantle. But it was always a personal thing until I came to China, which has such an unparalleled passion for food (similar to the French, which is part of my heritage) that I started TGIS with some friends, and our salon-style open brunches that I recently relaunched. Pop-up chef just seemed like the next logical step.

As for specialties, like my parents I have none. I like to try and cook everything and anything I may fancy. But my mom was raised in Louisiana and shrimp gumbo was a prerequisite to any holiday family meal (Thanksgiving, Christmas …) and I’ve never tasted anything better. So this is a culinary ode to my mom’s gumbo.

Tell us a little more about gumbo. What's special about this dish for you, and what’s the French connection?
Gumbo has many meanings and is steeped in Louisiana’s unique culture. It is actually used to refer to a French-based dialect employed by the region’s Creole inhabitants. In this case though, it refers to okra, which is a key ingredient in real Louisiana gumbo. The French connection is of course that Louisiana was a French colony until it was sold to America by Napoleon, and the French imprint on the state’s culture is huge. In the case of gumbo, the base is a French roux, a flavorful thickener which is also found in the traditional Provençal fish stew bouillabaisse, from the port city of Marseille.

Besides gumbo, is there anything else guests can expect or try?
Well, as this dish is a culinary ode to my mom, who was from the South, I couldn’t imagine serving it without some melt-in-your-mouth Southern honey cornbread. And of course, gumbo is always paired with white rice … and my charming smile!

Eric will be serving shrimp gumbo at Wujin Family Restaurant this Friday and Saturday, Feb 11 and Feb 12, from 6pm-9pm on both days. It’s RMB 65 per plate with a Valentine’s special of two plates for RMB 120 for couples. No reservations necessary, but this event is first come, first served.

READ: Keep Cozy and Full With This Winter Warmer Recipe for Bouncy Biang Biang Noodles

Images: altonbrown.com (Lynne Calamia), Wujin, courtesy of the organizers