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ORAL HISTORY
Vaughn Schmitt
Gumbos all over New Orleans feature Vaughn Schmitt’s sausage. Along with his business partner Deanie Bowen, this second-generation sausage maker is proprietor of Creole Country Sausage Company, which offers a traditional andouille, a special-order mango sausage, and everything in between. Vaughn’s parents, Fab and Ricker Schmitt, started Creole Country in 1979. They felt compelled when their favorite sausage producer in Church Point, Louisiana, went out of business. After a two-week crash course—in Oklahoma of all places—they started filling casings. Today, Creole Country provides sausage to restaurants throughout New Orleans—a vital link in the city’s renowned gumbo tradition.