Welcome this Creole and Cajun-inspired eatery to the growing list of unique Huntington restaurants
By Carter Seaton
HQ 115 | AUTUMN 2021
After Steve and Debbie Annett opened the cozy Gumbo Stop Cafe in Heritage Station, Debbie says she’d come full circle. As a young Brownie Scout she’d caught crawdads in Four Pole Creek, cooked and ate them. After years of working in the food service industry, she’s now cooking crawfish every day, although they’re no longer from the creek.
A native of Huntington and a Marshall graduate, Debbie began her food service career in Homosassa Springs, Florida, in a fine dining restaurant. Steve, whom she’d met at Marshall, worked there as well. After the pair moved back to Huntington, Debbie worked at a steakhouse until she was lured to Woodlands Retirement Community, where she stayed for 18 years. When she left Woodlands, she took a job that wasn’t a good fit and found herself without a job for the first time in 40 years. It was March of 2020, the week COVID hit the U.S.
In a way, the pandemic allowed the couple to fulfill their lifelong dream of operating their own restaurant. Steve had quit his job at an assisted living facility about the same time Debbie lost her job; so, for a while, they toured America in a camper with their grandchildren. After they returned, the space at Heritage Station became available in January 2021. They jumped at the opportunity even though they hadn’t yet settled on a cuisine. Now that they are open, Steve jokes about their decision.
“I think for a 60-year-old to jump into a restaurant is probably not the brightest thing in the world, but it’s something we’ve always wanted to do,” he says.
Debbie had always thought she’d open a fine dining place, but her passion for Appalachian foods kept creeping in. While at Woodlands, she’d taken food classes at Mountwest Community & Technical College, where she fell in love with international cooking. She’s also been a Paul Prudhomme fan for years. Her first ideas for the restaurant were primarily Southern dishes influenced by foods from her traveling days. But, knowing the space was small, she says, “I had to shave off 90% of the menu. We started talking about finding a niche, and it just finally evolved into this.” Ultimately, the basis for most of the recipes came from Prudhomme, although Steve tweaked them all a bit.
“Debbie came up with this menu that had a bunch of Creole and Cajun food on it, so that’s the path we decided to take,” he says. “I’m glad we did because we’re the only game in town.”
While the cafe is in a tiny space, with a few brightly covered tables, counter seating and local art covering the walls, it’s turning out big favorites for those who love Louisiana cooking. The Muffuletta Sandwiches and Beef Po’ Boys are served on a crunchy loaf from Gambino’s Bakery in Louisiana. The Annetts’ sausages and spices come from Scott, Louisiana, as well. Gumbo, jambalaya and red beans and rice are standard fare. Not to eschew the Appalachian food scene, they get some hot sauces from a West Virginia producer and their salt from JD Dickinson in Malden, West Virginia. And rounding out the “down home” cooking, there’s Nana’s Banana Pudding.
Open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, the menu features less than a dozen staples, all very reasonably priced. Check out the Gumbo Stop Cafe Facebook page for weekly specials like shrimp etouffee and garlic cheese grits, too. You can eat in or outside in good weather, or pick up meals to go. A bit awed by their rapid success, Debbie says, “We have the best customers. They’re cool.”
So, welcome the Gumbo Stop Cafe to the growing list of unique-cuisine Huntington restaurants. Laissez les bon temps rouler! Let the good times roll!
