An old chef in New Orleans showed me how to taste gumbo, and I still use his trick 15 years later

Finley Hernandez · 2026-09-11T01:45:05.285137+00:00

I was a line cook at a spot off Magazine Street back in 2009, maybe 22 years old, and I thought I knew everything about seasoning. One slow Tuesday this old chef named Earl walked me through his gumbo. He had me taste it, add a pinch of salt, wait, then taste again. Then he said, "You are not tasting the food, you are tasting the last thing you put in." That hit me. Now I do the same thing with every sauce, every soup, every braise. Earl passed a few years back, but I still hear that line in my head most nights. Any other cooks have a small tip from an old head that stuck with you for years?

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An old chef in New Orleans showed me how to taste gumbo, and I still use his trick 15 years later | Chefs - SMM Buzz