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GREENSBORO -- The way Jay Pierce sees it, there are as many recipes for gumbo as there are grandparents.

Well, his gumbo recipe comes from his own maternal grandmother. Granny, he called her. She'd keep a pot on the stove all day simmering, full of sausage and chicken or shrimp, particularly during Mardi Gras.

There would be deviled eggs, devil's food cookies and potato salad always nearby. And you never sat at a table, Pierce says. You stood, wandered from room to room or crashed on the sofa, near the TV.

That was Pierce's spot. With a bowl of gumbo over rice in his hand.

He thinks about that often at his grown-up spot, Lucky 32, the Greensboro restaurant where he steers employees nicknamed Rambo and Rondo and works as the executive chef creating new recipes of Southern cuisine.

"Food is just a part of my life," the 36-year-old chef says between breaks at Lucky 32.

"Break down the etymology of the word 'work.' Nowhere do I think this is a burden. To me, it's entertaining, sharing. And it's particular to my family, my culture. It's an extension of me."

Just like his Granny's potato salad.

And his Granny's gumbo.

Celebrate Mardi Gras at home with two of his family recipes.

Contact Jeri Rowe at 373-7374 or jeri.rowe@news-record.com

BIG EASY GUMBO

1½ ounces olive oil

1 pound Andouille sausage (available at Giacomo's Deli)

2 pounds chicken tenders, cut in ½-inch chunks

1 pound shrimp, peeled, de-veined, tail off, roughly chopped

1¹⁄₃ pounds yellow onions, ¼-inch diced

1¹⁄₃ pounds celery, ¼-inch diced

1¹⁄₃ pounds green peppers, ¼-inch diced

4 bay leaves

2 teaspoons fresh minced garlic

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

2 teaspoons shrimp base (Minor's soup bases available on Internet)

1¼ cup dark roux base (Savoie's Cajun Roux available on Internet)

3½ cups okra, sliced

1 gallon crab base prep (Minor's available on Internet)

Cut Andouille sausage in half lengthwise and cut into ½-inch half moons.

Heat oil in stock pot. Sauté sausage and chicken in pot till done. Remove meat from pot and set aside.

Add onions, celery, green peppers and spices to the pot. Sauté until soft while scraping the bottom of the pot with a spatula.

Add the dark roux. Cook for another 15 minutes. Add crab base prep and shrimp base and combine well. Return to a boil.

Add the shrimp, cooked diced chicken and sausage and okra.

Cook until the shrimp is just cooked through.

Makes 2 gallons of gumbo.

RUSTIC POTATO SALAD

3½ pounds small red potatoes

1 tablespoon salt

½ pound red onions, diced

1 1-pound can roasted red peppers, diced

1¹⁄₃ cup mayonnaise

2½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1½ tablespoons Old Bay seasoning

2 teaspoons black pepper, ground

2 teaspoons thyme leaves, dried

Steam whole potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes.

Chill in ice water to cool potatoes quickly.

Quarter the potatoes, place in a mixing bowl and season well with salt.

Combine remaining ingredients in a separate bowl. Whisk until well combined.

Fold mixture into potatoes.

Salt to taste.

Makes eight cups