For seafood lovers in Tallahassee, it can be quite expensive to indulge in the one thing you love most.
But for one business owner, affordability, customer service and a love for making good food are what keep her seafood-oriented company thriving.
At a young age, Ashly Curry was always in the kitchen. Being surrounded by family members who own restaurants themselves, it was only natural that she had the talent for cooking.
In 2016, while unemployed at the time, Curry decided to do what she knows best, and started her own business: Garlic Crab House.
Curry uses original recipes and this is in part what separates her business from other seafood restaurants.
“Honestly, I believe my original recipe is better than any other because before I started making seafood, I tried other places, and it was good, but compared to what I offer, it is not the same,” Curry said. “I don’t pre-make my plates. I take pride in my customer service, and I try my best to keep that said customer happy.”
Three days a week, Curry cooks and prepares the food so that it is hot and fresh. She and her partner also deliver the food to customers and have a variety of unique and tasty dishes.
Curry makes shrimp and crab plates, seafood rice, strawberry shortcake cupcakes, and even a seafood loaded potato. Curry has high hopes for Garlic Crab House.
“Within the last year, I’ve decided that this is what I want to do. I’m stuck between a restaurant and a food truck, but the food truck is what I want to be my first step,” Curry said. “I honestly feel like FAMU showed me a lot of love, so the restaurant thing is mostly to give back to FAMU and the college kids; you have somewhere to come, you have somewhere to sit, eat and have fun.”
Curry wants to make her “FAMU Friday” special a big thing for students to represent their orange and green with delicious food.
Christina Caines, a senior health science student at FAMU, said she loves Garlic Crab House. It is different from other seafood restaurants, she said.
“They offer that welcome back feeling, and they’re always ready to satisfy your tastebuds,” Cains said. “My favorite thing about them is their customer service; I swear garliccrabhouse850 is the seafood version of Chick-fil-a.”
Bryann Hawkins, a seafood lover and loyal customer, called Garlic Crab House the best in Tallahassee.
“One thing that I can truly say is that the food is always on point. I am a first-year college student, and I don’t have a car up here. The fact that they deliver is amazing,” Hawkins said. “I can see their business being the hot spot that everyone visits in Tallahassee. I’ve always been told that running a business is not all about making money, but making your community happy as well, and garliccrabhouse850 does well at that.”
Curry plans on taking her business to the next level by expanding her team, adding new items to the menu, and maybe changing the name of the business after her late mother and family bloodline.
If you want a taste of Garlic Crab House, follow their instagram page @Garliccrabhouse850.