Ball’s roots lie in childhood memories of cooking gumbo with his grandmother – a dish he famously says he fell in love with so deeply: “if gumbo were a woman, we’d be married”. Drawing on that legacy, he began serving at community events, and his pop-up quickly gained traction: the Ferry Plaza, music festivals, crawfish boils, and street fairs – where his gumbo drew lines as long as the melodies at a New Orleans second-line parade .
Late in 2022, Dontaye secured the keys to his first permanent location at 5176 3rd St – and a Kickstarter launched him forward. On June 3, 2023, during a second-line celebration led by the Gumbo Band and honored by city officials, Gumbo Social opened its doors officially, ready to greet the locals of Bayview.…