Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
ALTON - Gumbo 2 Geaux, located at 1808 Washington Ave. in Alton, had its grand opening Wednesday morning. The location will be primarily drive-thru and carry-out only, however outside dining areas are in the plans moving forward as well as a few tables inside the building.
The restaurant ironically opens its doors on National Gumbo Day.
Kyndra Green runs the business with her husband, Troy. They moved to Alton from Louisiana six years ago. The two of them do a lot of the authentic-cajun cooking as it's something Kyndra loves to do.
"I've always enjoyed cooking," Kyndra said. "I've been a server for 13 years."
Kyndra and Troy took a huge risk when they decided to leave everything behind in Louisiana and start anew in Alton.
"When I moved to Illinois in 2016, we had just lost everything to a flood in Louisiana. So, we moved up here to kind of restart our lives. When I started working around here I started cooking food for my coworkers and friends, gumbo mainly."
She mentioned that during the COVID-19 Pandemic when restaurants were forced to shut down, she began serving plate lunches out of her own home.
"That kind of got so big that the demand pushed us to have our own brick-and-mortar store and that's how we came to be," she said.
When they moved to Alton they originally lived in Twin Pines off of Fosterburg Road but have since moved to Wood River.
"The Alton area is just very comfortable. It's a very small-business-friendly community."
She said it reminds her of home, being relatively close to the Mississippi River, just some 700 miles north of back home in Baton Rouge, an hour and a half drive from New Orleans.
Gumbo 2 Geaux held a soft opening last Friday, October 7, with a limited menu and they sold out within hours. It's already been a huge success in the area.
The restaurant will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
The full menus can be found below.
