General

Jack Hemmenway is the owner and longstanding patriarch of JBS Packing Company, Inc. located in Port Arthur, Texas. A conversation with him is a one-of-a-kind experience. Jack has dedicated his life to the shrimp industry and the collection of stories …

Frozen wild-caught American shrimp are conveniently always available in your freezer after you’ve bought them, but do you know the proper way to thaw them before using them in your favorite dishes? There are numerous factors to consider, but …

Al Marmande, third-generation owner of Al’s Shrimp Company in Theriot, Louisiana, lays a special claim to shrimp fame as one of the oldest continuing shrimp drying operations in the United States. The Marmande family, which was one of the original …

It’s time for another Fun Fact Friday! Did you know? Allegedly, the largest shrimp ever caught measured nearly 16 inches and was purchased for $800 by a Colombian biologist! Here’s how the story goes. According to UnderwaterTimes.com, in …

JAMES APTAKIN LAYERS OF FLAVOR If there had been a Junior Master Chef Competition when James Aptakin was ten-years-old, there is no question that he would have won the big prize. Baking shortbread and jam cookies at the age of eight and making …

MIKE KOERNER CHEZ MIKEY Chef Mike Koerner was born and raised in Deerfield, Illinois, and was exposed to a wide array of cultures early on. Culinary excellence was in Mike’s DNA with Swedish, Italian, and Hungarian blood. His Italian grandmother was …

Many processing plants that line the Gulf and South Atlantic have a family lineage rooted deep in multiple generations. In the case of Fisherman’s Reef in Beaumont, Texas, it’s more like a culinary lineage: from donut shop to bakery, hamburger joint …

A shrimp swimming underwater Shrimp School is now in session! Did you know that shrimp swim backward? It’s true! Shrimp may be little guys (with full-grown shrimp only measuring about three to nine inches in length), but they’ve still got places to …

When it came to working in shrimp factories in the late 19th to early 20th century, everything operated under a unique set of rules, and how people were paid was no exception: instead of being paid in standard United States currency, factory workers …