Our History
GUMBO was founded in 2010 with a goal of capitalizing on the convergence of two emerging consumer trends. The first was the rising awareness and admiration for chefs, thanks in a large part to cable TV programming such Food Network’s Emeril and Iron Chef. The second was the increasing public demand to learn more about our food; specifically where it comes from and what’s in it.
Chefs were rapidly becoming the leading voices for transparency and GUMBO Marketing was there to amplify these conversions with programs that leveraged media and experiential marketing channels.
Now a nationally-recognized consultancy, GUMBO is the only food-focused marketing firm that specializes in building unique, strategic partnerships between culinary brands and respected chefs. In addition, GUMBO Marketing’s services have naturally evolved into the areas of Brand Strategy & Development as well as Media Relations for a select number of chefs and restaurants.
GUMBO remains small and focused by design; this allows our senior principals to be hands-on with each project. Our founder, Ted Nelson continues to be the direct contact for all our client relationships, many of which are now approaching their ten-year anniversary. Clients often cite the amount of attention they receive from senior-level staff as GUMBO Marketing’s greatest competitive advantage.
