Tina Knowles‘ gumbo pop-up booth experienced a temporary hiccup due to a complaint investigation.
The entrepreneur, best known as the mother of Beyoncé and Solange Knowles, brought her Mama Tina’s Gumbo business to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. However, health department officials had to pause food production following an incident.
Tina Knowles first announced that her gumbo booth would open at the Rodeo from March 2 to March 22 in a social media post.
Tina Knowles’ Gumbo Booth Sparks Investigation After A Consumer’s Complaint
According to new reports, Tina’s gumbo booth at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo was temporarily shut down by Houston health inspectors following a consumer’s complaint. The female customer made her grievances known on March 16, weeks after the booth opened.
The consumer explained that she had eaten Tina’s gumbo in the afternoon and developed severe symptoms later. These symptoms included vomiting, chills, nausea, and fever, with the complaint adding that the customer claimed she was “throwing up blood.”
The Houston Health Department records obtained by KPRC 2 News showed that health inspectors had responded to the complaint by visiting the pop-up shop on March 16. There, they discovered multiple health violations that sparked the temporary closure of Tina’s gumbo booth.
Health Department Inspectors Highlighted Several Key Issues
The health department investigators learned that the gumbo being served at the booth was prepared at an off-site location. After cooking, the gumbo was cooled, stored in non-food-grade orange buckets, and transported to a freezer at an unlicensed location.
Finally, the frozen gumbo was moved to Tina’s pop-up booth, where it was left to thaw before being served to customers. The operators of Mama Tina’s shop also did not have any temperature logs showing the cooling or storing time.
Additionally, inspectors noticed bags of frozen seafood “with a label that stated ‘keep frozen'” that were not kept frozen. Therefore, all the food no longer in its frozen state had to be discarded to avoid contamination, and Tina’s gumbo operators were educated on the proper procedures.
The Entrepreneur’s Workers Were ‘Very Cooperative’
It appeared that Tina’s gumbo operators were unaware that their methods were wrong, as they received high praise from health inspectors for their willingness to learn. “Operators were very cooperative and asked questions about how to gain compliance with the department,” the report noted.
Tina’s workers agreed to pause food production in an off-site location and only prepare food on-site. All operations at the gumbo booth resumed on March 17 after the shop passed a pre-opening inspection from health inspectors.
Tina changed her refrigerated trailer for a freezer trailer, allowing all the food stored inside to remain in their required frozen state. The preparations of the gumbo also shifted from off-site to on-site cooking in the morning before getting served to customers.
Beyoncé’s Mother Announced Her Pop-up Booth On Instagram
A month before the health complaint, Tina announced the appearance of her booth at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo on Instagram. She shared a video of herself in a sexy all-black cowboy ensemble, asking fans to get a taste of her secret gumbo recipe.
“Come and try out some of our ‘Mama Tina’s Gumbo’ at the Houston rodeo by the Ferris wheel on March 2 through March 22,” she captioned the February 24 post. Her words received positive responses from fans and celebrities, who shared their excitement.
“I’m ready @mstinaknowles! SPRINKLESPRINKLE!” Youtuber Shera Seven wrote. Chef Tiffani Janelle echoed similar sentiments, sending her love to Tina. Singer-songwriter Tamar Braxton dropped multiple fire emojis, with actress Holly Robinson Peete promising to “pull up.”
Inside Tina Knowles’ Rise To Fame As A Businesswoman
Before gaining international recognition as Beyoncé’s mother, Tina made a name for herself as a businesswoman. She started as a makeup artist for Shiseido, a Japanese cosmetics company. But her true passion was in the hair industry.
Tina opened her hair salon, Headliners, in 1990 and quickly became a Houston sensation. The shop was also where Beyoncé and other members of Destiny’s Child began performing before achieving global stardom.
Once her daughter started pursuing a music career, Tina showcased her talents as a hair and wardrobe designer for the group. The side hustle eventually became the foundation of the matriarch’s fashion line, House of Deréon, per Hello Magazine.
What will Tina Knowles do next?