First-year student Carly Walker of Marietta shared a little taste of home with diners at The Max.

With the help of Sodexo staff members, Walker served steaming bowls of chicken and andouille sausage gumbo as the first dish to be featured in the Student Takeover The Max program.

This gumbo recipe is possibly hundreds of years old. All the women on the maternal side of Walker’s family have served this recipe, and they all make it differently.

But her “Grancy,” Carolyn Ferrazzano, makes it better than all the others.

“I’ve been eating this gumbo since I could eat anything at all,” Walker said. “And I’ve eaten it every time I’ve been at my grandmother’s house. I can eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.”

Her grandmother moved around the country because Walker’s grandfather served in the military. But this recipe is one of the ways she stayed connected to her home state of Louisiana. Whenever Walker’s family visits Grancy in Opelousas, Louisiana, they go home with Ziploc bags full of frozen gumbo.

The secret, Walker said, is preparing a proper roux—equal parts flour and fat simmered and stirred over high heat for no less than 45 minutes. It’s kind of an art form. If the roux gets too hot, it’ll burn; if the pot’s not hot enough, it won’t impart the proper flavor.

Grancy’s decades of experience cooking this recipe mean each bowl of gumbo is a true taste of Cajun culture.

Grancy’s recipe is a lot spicier than Walker’s, and there are a few local ingredients you can’t get in this part of the country. Regardless, Walker was keen to share this family recipe with diners at Georgia College & State University who may not know much about Cajun culture and cuisine.

“This is the best gumbo I’ve ever had,” Walker said. “It’s only famous within our family, but now a lot of people get to try her gumbo.”

Walker shared Grancy’s gumbo recipe as part of the Student Takeover the Max program, which allows students to partner with Sodexo to serve unique dishes as a special menu item in the Max.

Executive Chef Enoch Rutherford said the program originated through suggestions from Sodexo’s Student Culinary Council. Each month, The Max will feature a new recipe shared by a Georgia College student.

“The students are what make it possible for us,” Rutherford said. “We want as much input from them as possible.”

Rutherford invites all Georgia College students and employees to share a recipe through their new Student Takeover The Max program. You can reach out about sharing your recipe by emailing dining@gcsu.edu.