Eugene Coleman stands inside Seafood King, his new restaurant in St. Elmo.Eugene Coleman's friends have always been fans of his crab boils and, thanks in part to their encouragement, he's turned his ability to turn out crowd-pleasing seafood dishes into a successful business.
Coleman studied culinary arts at Chattanooga State. He was working out of town as a chemical tech when he decided to start selling food out of his home. He then ran a food truck for about six months in the Wilcox Boulevard area, the neighborhood where he spent half of his time growing up. The other half was spent in Alton Park, he said, so he chose St. Elmo Avenue for the location of his brick-and-mortar restaurant, Seafood King, which he opened two months ago.
He personally transformed the former Okie Dokie Market into the new restaurant, and he does all the prep work, cooking and cleaning. Since Coleman is doing all the work, the restaurant is currently open only on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 8 p.m., but starting in February, he plans to open five days a week.
Everything is made to order, said Coleman. Most of his business is carryout, although there are a handful of tables inside for those who want to dine in.
Seafood King's best-selling dish is the smothered baked potato, a giant spud topped with turkey sausage, broccoli, cheese and shrimp. Other popular options include the crab legs, shrimp plate and shrimp nachos, he said.
"People love this food," said Coleman. "I get a lot of repeat customers. I have a special sauce they just go crazy about."
Although the crab boils he did for friends are what led him to open the business, that's not how he cooks at the restaurant.
"Everything is cooked separately with its own flavor," Coleman said.
Seafood King Restaurant is at 5601 St. Elmo Ave. and can be reached at 888-2694, or visit facebook.com/seafoodkinggene.
Email Emily Crisman at ecrisman@timesfreepress.com