Although Starkville is far from a coast, a wider variety of seafood is now available to residents, thanks to Christy’s Seafood Market. When most Starkville residents think of Christy’s, they think of hamburgers. However, Dec. 3 owners John Friloux and Todd Burkis decided to try something different. Friloux opened a seafood market and restaurant under the same Christy’s name.
This seafood restaurant and market offers customers a variety of seafood at an inexpensive price in a very casual dining atmosphere. Christy’s Seafood Market only specifically deals with seafood, so quality and expertise in preparation are guaranteed.
“I think the main idea behind opening a seafood place was because there’s really nothing like it around here,” Christy’s manager Chris Smith said. “We wanted to see how it would do and so far business has been great.”
Smith added that, although business was slow at first, the restaurant/market has been getting busier and busier every day. Because of its location on Martin Luther King Drive, the focus at first was geared towards lunch. However, lunch popularity began to spill over into a night crowd.
“Because we are so close to down town, our lunches have been successful, but the nights have really started to pick up,” Smith said. “With more business we now offer daily lunch specials Monday through Friday and nightly specials. Both of these specials change everyday and hopefully with time we’ll start to deliver lunch to businesses downtown.”
Along with daily specials, Christy’s has a large menu to choose from. Everything from boiled shrimp and snow crab legs to crawfish are available at the restaurant/market. And with two weekly shipments of seafood a week, all menu items are at the peak of freshness.
“We pretty much offer everything. Crawfish; shrimp; mahi mahi; tuna; grouper; flounder-we have it all. And to add to our menu selection we have great homemade sauces and stuffing that are made from scratch,” Smith said.
Smith says that the stuffed shrimp and stuffed crab seem to be the best menu items. And that customers can order any of the fish to their particular taste whether it’s blackened or grilled.
Taste is the key factor behind Christy’s name and philosophy on food. Part owner John Friloux, a Louisiana native, said the New Orleans influence and culture plays a part in many of the recipes. Friloux added that these influences combined with his education from Mississippi State have helped him to become successful.
“New Orleans represents flavor and lots of spices-not necessarily always lots of spices, but lots of flavor,” Friloux said.
The Christy’s name remained a very important factor for Burkis and Friloux. The two partners felt that because the name Christy’s was already well-known, keeping it would help business.
Junior Mike Howard said the name is what led him to try Christy’s Seafood Market. He added that the quality in food stayed true to the Christy’s name.
Friloux says that he and his partner Burkis met at MSU with only the Mississippi River in common. Years later their friendship has helped both men to now have a lot in common, including the start of a restaurant.