Celebrate Mardi Gras at Gumbo Ya Ya in Nicholasville
EVERY YEAR, GREG TODD worries customers won’t show up for the Fat Tuesday celebration at Gumbo Ya Ya in Nicholasville. So far, he’s been proven wrong.
“I always laugh at him, because every year, our numbers are better than the year before,” says his wife, Tressa. “I’m like, ‘Yes, dear, they’re going to show. They’re going to come.’”
The fast casual Cajun-Creole spot stays busy year-round, but Mardi Gras, which falls on February 17 this year, brings long lines of customers eager for red beans with smoked sausage, chicken creole, maque choux, jambalaya and more—and a free slice of King Cake, a Mardi Gras tradition, with every meal.
The Todds pride themselves on a long culinary lineage—Greg was mentored by Joe Vuskovich, a New Orleans native who founded Jozo’s Bayou Gumbo in Lexington. Greg and Tressa opened Gumbo Ya Ya’s first location in 2004, and its current spot in Brannon Crossing in 2015. Over the years, customers have appreciated quick service, fresh ingredients and impeccable service.
“It’s slow cooked, but it’s served fast,” says Greg, noting that he might stir 12 gallons of roux for five hours to thicken a 60-gallon kettle of gumbo. But service is quick—Tressa says customers’ food is often plated before they pay at the counter. A rotating menu keeps things fresh, and diners can choose white rice, grits, jambalaya or—controversially—pasta as the base for their sauces. Tasting samples are free, and homemade desserts, including bread pudding, peanut butter pie and pralines, sweeten the deal.
Served by Blue Grass Energy, Gumbo Ya Ya is located at 294 E. Brannon Road in Nicholasville and open 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Monday–Saturday.
