Tina Knowles time at the 2026 Houston Rodeo has garnered tons of attention, but for all the wrong reasons. Recently, Knowles’ Gumbo booth was temporarily shut down by the Houston Health Department for “undisclosed reasons.” Now, the shocking reason behind the closure has been revealed. According to TMZ, the Texas pop-up eatery was shut down after a customer complained they vomited blood after eating the gumbo.
Houston’s KPRC 2 News also reported on the incident. The outlet obtained health department records that noted a customer became “wildly ill” after eating at Knowles’ establishment. Per the report, the customer claimed that, in addition to throwing up blood, they experienced “chills, nausea, and a fever.” Apparently, the gumbo was cooked off-site, cooled, and then stuffed into buckets and later hauled off to a freezer at an unlicensed location.
The food was then transported to a refrigerated trailer and thawed before being served. The report also noted that Knowles lacked the required temperature logs that showed the cooling and storage times of the gumbo. The inspector also reportedly “observed bags of frozen shrimp and crab with a label that stated ‘keep frozen.’” The department also reported that the alleged food source was not listed on the approved permit application.
Additionally, the department noted that the food source utilized after the first day of the rodeo was not listed on the approved permit application. Furthermore, the food prepared more than 24 hours prior to serving was not dated. On Monday (Mar.23), The Shade Room reposted the story, and not long after, the post’s comment section was flooded with responses offering their own explanations regarding the incident.
