Chef Dontaye Ball, better known as Mr. Gumbo, couldn’t tell you exactly how old he was the first time he tasted gumbo at his grandmother’s house in the Fillmore District. His grandmother always said eight years old. His mom believes it was more like four. But either way, to him, gumbo tastes like Christmas. Ball remembers the whole family elbowing into the kitchen and arguing about exactly what goes into the pot.