Desimonae Anderson opened Gumbo and Jazz three weeks ago. The restaurant shares a space with Bell’s Greek Pizza, 1135 E. Grand River Ave., and serves authentic Louisiana gumbo, jambalaya and soups.

She said fears of not making enough money with the restaurant aren’t a question — her husband surviving a stroke has put such worries in perspective.

About 14 hours after Wess Anderson’s stroke, he began to regain movement with his body. Even when he was able to eat again, he wasn’t himself until his wife brought a half dozen of his old albums and three of his saxophones with mismatched parts into the hospital.

“He knew I was his wife, but he couldn’t remember how long we’d been married,” Desimonae Anderson said.

“What he could recognize was that the parts of the instrument were in the wrong spot. We knew, at that point, if we were going to focus on one area of his mind, were going to focus on music.”

Wess Anderson’s healing process has continued in helping his wife run the restaurant. From the time when she begins chopping onions, peppers and spices to prepare the gumbo in the morning to when her husband sweeps the floor at night, more than 6,000 tracks from jazz legends on his iPod fill the room.

When Wess Anderson was finally able to play again and learned he could return to teaching this spring, it was “a blessing,” he said.

“Coming from a family of musicians where music was a focal point, the day just wouldn’t be right (without jazz). If I never would have been able to play again, I would have always told myself that I played a lot, but it sure would be nice to play one more time,” he said. “A musician’s never satisfied.”

Desimonae Anderson said the music gives the restaurant, which holds a capacity of 20 people, a relaxed energy.

“It’s a small place, it’s quaint, but it’s a vibe we’re going to like for people to come and enjoy,” she said. “When you see him, it’s jazz. With me, it has to be gumbo and I have to make sure it’s good gumbo.”

A pot of chicken and Andouille sausage gumbo takes Desimonae Anderson six to eight hours to make, she said.

While she said her gumbo combines a Southern Louisiana flavor from growing up in Baton Rouge and a Creole flavor from her grandmother — a Mississippi native and her biggest cooking influence — most of her customers are unfamiliar with what that even means.

“You can’t describe what gumbo tastes like, and I’m trying to educate the population here because it is a different culture,” she said.

“People have a lot of misconceptions, like that all gumbo is spicy, so in order for this place to be a success, I have to give free samples.

“It is not soup, it’s gumbo, and there’s a big difference.”

Habib Jarwan, who owns the building shared by Gumbo and Jazz and Bell’s Greek Pizza, said he had never tried gumbo until Desimonae Anderson approached him with an interest in the space.

“When I first tasted it, I knew this was the kind of stuff I would like,” Jarwan said.

“I thought something unique like this would bring more traffic here, to both businesses.”