SPOTLIGHT: Vincent Neil Emerson - Blue Stars Gumbo [ESSAY]

Editor's Note: Vincent Neil Emerson, whose new LP Blue Stars came out April 17 via LaHonda Records, is No Depression's Spotlight Artist for April 2026. Check out an in-depth profile of the Texan songwriter here and stay tuned for

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Apr 30, 2026 - 15:23
SPOTLIGHT: Vincent Neil Emerson - Blue Stars Gumbo [ESSAY]
SPOTLIGHT: Vincent Neil Emerson - Blue Stars Gumbo [ESSAY]

Editor's Note: Vincent Neil Emerson, whose new LP Blue Stars came out April 17 via LaHonda Records, is No Depression's Spotlight Artist for April 2026. Check out an in-depth profile of the Texan songwriter here and stay tuned for more from Emerson all month long.

I’ve loved cooking since I was a kid. I used to sit in the kitchen with my granny while she made  me food. Fried green tomatoes, beef stew, BLTs, fried chicken. It didn’t matter what she made,  it was always good. And there was always sun shining through that kitchen window and people laughing. Here’s a recipe that I’ve been cooking since I could cook. I grew up in East Texas, raised by Louisiana natives, so gumbo is one of the most respected dishes where I come from. You just can’t beat it. 

VNE’s Blue Stars Gumbo 

5 boneless skin on chicken thighs  
1 pound andouille/smoked sausage 
2 large white or yellow onions 
2 bell peppers (any color works, but I like the red ones) 
5 ribs of celery 
1 small bunch green onions 
1 bulb of garlic, chopped 
Salt 
Black pepper 
4 bay leaves 
Texas Pete hot sauce 
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce 
1 cup all purpose flour 
1 cup cooking oil 
2 32oz boxes of chicken stock 
3 cups of water 
1 beer of choice 

We’re gunna start by chopping up all our veggies. 

Chop up your bell peppers, celery, garlic, and set them aside in their own bowl. Chop up your onions and set them aside on their own too. 

Chop up your sausage into 1/2 inch coin slices, place into a medium hot skillet with a few  drizzles of oil, and brown them up a little bit. Pour 2/3rds of your chicken stock along with 2 or 3 cups of water into a soup pot, and add your browned up sausage, bell peppers, celery, and  minced garlic.  

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