Filé Gumbo Bar About Us
The Story Behind The Bar
Filé Gumbo Bar didn't start in a culinary school — it started on the road. Chef and Owner Eric McCree spent years traveling the world as an audio engineer, working with major stage productions across the globe. Along the way, he did what curious people do: he ate. From backroads Louisiana to the streets of New Orleans, Eric developed a deep, personal relationship with Cajun and Creole cooking — a cuisine he had grown up appreciating through his grandfather, Aubrey "Tiny" Gaines.
When live entertainment shut down in 2020, Eric made a decision that changed everything. He headed upstate, started cooking for family, and quickly found himself catering bigger and bigger events out of his sister's home kitchen. What had once been a retirement dream became an immediate calling. Filé Gumbo Bar opened in Tribeca shortly after — a neighborhood Eric chose for its character, its energy, and its surprising openness to something genuinely new.
What Makes Filé Different
At Filé, gumbo isn't just a menu item — it's a performance. Eight steam kettles line the bar, and guests watch their dish come together in real time: the roux building slowly, the proteins going in, the filé powder dusted over the top like a finishing ritual. It's interactive dining that connects you to the food in a way that very few restaurants in New York City offer.
The name itself tells that story. Filé — pronounced fee-lay — refers to the dried and ground leaves of the North American sassafras tree, introduced to Cajun cooking by the Choctaw Indians in the 18th century. It's what thickens great gumbo. It's what gives Filé its identity.