It’s the onset of crab season and Sandy Romero, the other half of S & K Seafood in Delcambre, says so far it looks hopeful. She and her husband, Kenneth, are familiar with relying on Mother Nature for their bounties.
The couple had never owned a business before opening S & K, but they certainly were familiar with the seafood industry. Kenneth was a crabber for 35 years, as well as a shrimper, and is still a crawfisher. His father owned the Anchor Inn, a combination restaurant, bar, and seafood market. Sandy’s father, C.D. Menard, was a longtime shrimper in Delcambre.
Located near the Delcambre bridge, S & K Seafood was formerly Bridgeside Seafood, first opened by Kenneth’s older brother, who passed away years ago. Fairing the ups and downs of the seafood industry has been a struggle that Kenneth was willing to undertake to keep the business in the family.
After much renovation, S & K Seafood opened this March. It’s what Sandy describes as “a simple business.” She culls the crabs, takes care of the shrimp, and collects the money. Kenneth crawfishes much of the time and helps with the crabs when needed. A friend, Glen Gary, helps out when called on. And that’s it. All efforts concentrate on building a reputation for providing quality seafood to the public.
Customers – many of them former Bridgeside patrons – walk in and place their orders Wednesdays through Sundays from 8 am to 6 pm (closing early most Sundays.)
“We’re set up differently than before,” Sandy says talking about their crabs. “We hold them in saltwater tubs, which keeps them fresh longer. They’re not just put in a cooler; we feed them with bait and pieces of crabs; it’s awesome to see how crabs eat.”
S & K Seafood offers three sizes of blue points: small, medium and large (with x-larges mixed in.) Customers are allowed to choose their own small crabs, and Sandy says “Kids love it when their parents let them pick their own crabs with tongs.”
Shrimp is a big item at the seafood market and the Romeros try hard to accommodate customers, whether providing 26/30’s for a customer making a big stew, 16/20’s gotten off the boats near Forked Island, or bait shrimp on request. “Customers make the business, so we try hard to get what they need,” maintains Sandy, who says the most surprising part of owning a business has been the paperwork.
Kenneth provides the crawfish from his ponds in Delcambre and other rice fields close to Perry, where he’s crawfished for 20 or more years.
When available, there are oysters by the half gallon.
Still very new, the business is a labor of love for the Romeros in more than one, as Sandy shares, “This business was Kenneth’s brother’s heart and soul, and we want to keep it going for him.”
Recent Comments