Candy and Ryan Collier are celebrating three years of ownership this month for The Gulf Coast Connection. The couple purchased the business from Ryan’s cousin and has expanded its seafood offerings over the past few years.
Ryan grew up on the Gulf Coast in Dauphin Island, Alabama with his family of fishermen. He grew up fishing on the coast and then moved to Paducah to be closer to his grandparents who lived in the area. He decided to stay in the Paducah area and brought his passion for saltwater fishing home to Western Kentucky through the Gulf Coast Connection. What began as a delivery service with a refrigerated food truck expanded into a permanent location store which exists today under the Collier’s ownership.
During the busy season, fresh seafood is delivered twice each week straight from the Gulf of Mexico, usually by one of Ryan’s family members. They search for top-quality fish, shrimp, crab and oysters from their connections on the coast and bring it back to Paducah for their customer’s to enjoy. The store carries raw seafood that can be cooked at home, and most recently, has added broiled and fried options to their menu for customer’s who want to leave the cooking to the Colliers. Customers are welcome to dine at the restaurant to enjoy lunch or dinner of fresh seafood with friends and family.
“We found that a lot of people didn’t want to have to cook their seafood at home, so that’s when we came up with the idea to prepare the seafood boiled or fried and offer curbside takeout and dine-in service to our customers,” says Candy Collier.
The dine-in and takeout menu includes broiled and fried seafood dishes from their fresh catch selections. The broiled seafood options come with corn, sausage and potatoes. The fried seafood dishes come with French fries, homemade coleslaw, and two hush puppies.
Grouper and snapper are currently in season and have been a customer favorite this summer. Pair with shrimp and raw oysters for a seafood extravaganza that your friends and family will love!
“Our customers have said they have really enjoyed being able to get fresh seafood at home since many are not traveling to the beach and enjoying seafood on the coast as they normally would during the summer.”
The Gulf Coast Connection has recently been been remodeled and the Colliers are excited to welcome their customers into the newly renovated space, complete with a new display case, updated decor and refinished floors.
