Who proclaimed Gonzales the Jambalaya Capital of the World in 1968?

Louisiana Governor John J. McKeithen proclaimed Gonzales the “Jambalaya Capital of the World” in 1968. The proclamation helped formalize the city’s identity as a center of jambalaya culture and remains closely tied to its annual festival.

McKeithen, a Democrat from rural Louisiana, served as the state’s governor from 1964 to 1972. During his administration, Louisiana promoted its distinctive regional traditions, including Cajun and Creole foodways. Gonzales’s association with jambalaya made it a natural location for a public celebration of the dish.

The proclamation is sometimes confused with the founding of the festival, but the two are related parts of the same 1968 story. Gonzales’s title is promotional rather than a legal designation recognized worldwide. Still, it has endured because the city continues to host its annual Jambalaya Festival, where cooks compete and large quantities of the rice-based dish are prepared for visitors.