Exploring Life & Business with Bracy Dutton of Fishin’ Shrimp

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bracy Dutton. 

Hi Bracy, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Growing up on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, seafood has always been part of my life. It was the highlight of all family gatherings as well as weeknight meals due to the access we had to fresh, quality seafood. As my love for seafood grew, over the years I would replicate family recipes and create my own and serve them to family and friends. I loved seeing the enjoyment on people’s faces after they tried my food and saw how good food brought people together. During COVID, I like so many others had a lot of extra time to think. I noticed that the community I lived in and the surrounding areas did not have a lot of seafood options. I realized I could take the food and the great experiences I had been part of to a larger audience by bringing my love for seafood to North Carolina. Thus, the idea for our food truck and Fishin’ Shrimp was realized. Initially, thinking through a name and testing out recipes with friends and family took some time but once my wife and I recognized we had a good set menu and where we could get our seafood, we hit the ground running. We also knew that we didn’t want to be relegated to the food truck only but also provide catering and party platters. We started to make lots of business connections in the community and spread the brand of Fishin’ Shrimp. We started talking to other food truck owners and researching festivals and events for us that made sense so more people could try and grow to love our food. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Starting your own business is not easy. Starting a food truck and developing a brand is not easy. Having never worked for just ourselves before was daunting but we were up for the challenge and to really set an example for our son Ethan. We wanted him to know that the entrepreneurial spirit can hit you at any time and if you put the time and attention into a project, it can be successful. I have always been good at meeting people, making connections, and initiating relationships so that part came easy. Learning and understanding the mechanics of the truck, navigating the food truck scene, and ensuring we were connecting with enough people about who we were and our food was much harder. There has been some trial and error on what works best but we feel like we have hit our sweet spot as we navigate into a full year of operating the truck and our business. 

As you know, we’re big fans of Fishin’ Shrimp. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Fishin’ Shrimp is a seafood food truck but also provides party platters and catering services to the Wake Forest and Raleigh triangle area. We specialize in lots of seafood specialties including seafood boils, seafood towers, crab cakes, crab balls, steamed clams, and mussels. Fishin’ Shrimp is set apart from others by the wide variety of seafood that we can prepare. We have not seen others providing seafood boils in the area. We can prepare both Maryland style which includes shrimp, sausage, corn, and potatoes with Old Bay and other seasonings or New England style with lobster, clams mussels, corn and potatoes in a white wine, butter, and garlic sauce. Our crab towers are unmatched and can be filled with everything from lobster, scallops, clams, mussels, crab claws, shrimp, and snow crab leg. We have been so excited to bring one of our absolute favorites to the area, crab cakes. Our crab cakes are jumbo lump with no filler and very popular. We provide crab cake meals to order, and we have started selling crab ball baskets on the truck which usually sell out. Readers should know that we love and care about our food and it shows in the quality and presentation they receive. We only serve what we would want to serve to our family and close friends. 

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Do your research and take your time. Don’t step out until all your boxes are checked until you are ready. First impressions are always lasting impressions. Seek advice and knowledge from those already in the business and make connections in the community prior to the business starting. Having that leg up makes things a lot easier when you are ready to officially open. Finding employees that are committed can be difficult so make sure to work with those that are willing, believe in your brand, and provide competitive pay and a great working atmosphere. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.fishinshrimp.com/
• Instagram: @fishinshrimp
• Facebook: @fishinshrimp
• Other: https://vimeo.com/733628346

Image Credits
Natasha Gentile-Leshchiner
Catie Spell Photography