Featured photo: It’s a family affair at Eddie’s Seafood and Soul Food. Mavice Hughes Thigpen (center) runs the historic Shreveport eatery along with several family members.
Still riding a wave of good publicity after being named to Southern Living‘s list “The South’s Best Soul Food,” historic Shreveport eatery Eddie’s Seafood and Soul Food surprised local food lovers by debuting their new mobile eatery during the Krewe of Centaur parade on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016. Eddie’s Seafood and Soul Food is one of several local restaurants that is revered for serving a unique variety of stuffed shrimp that originated in the kitchen of the Freeman and Harris Café – which, at the time of its closing, was one of the oldest black-owned restaurants in the U.S. The brick-and-mortar location of Eddie’s Seafood and Soul Food is located at 1956 Hollywood Avenue in Shreveport. With the addition of a mobile eatery, owner Mavice Hughes Thigpen says that the restaurant is looking forward to taking their phenomenal stuffed shrimp to new audiences in new parts of town.
“I want to be mobile, so that they can taste these shrimp all over the city,” Thigpen said. “We’re trying to keep the legacy going, to get out there and let people know.”
A customer at the new Eddie’s Seafood and Soul Food mobile eatery. Photo courtesy of the Eddie’s Facebook page.
At the Krewe of Centaur parade, the truck’s first outing, Thigpen said that they sold out of stuffed shrimp and fried shrimp. Other menu offerings for the truck’s maiden voyage included gumbo, chicken wings and red beans and rice. While there are no immediate plans for future appearances by the mobile eatery, food lovers should follow the restaurant’s Facebook page for updates. “Weekends and festivals, we’re gonna get that truck out rolling,” Thigpen said. She added that the mobile eatery is also available for catering gigs.
The brightly colored truck (orange, also the color of the restaurant) is easy to spot. A banner hanging on the side reads “Home of the Stuffed Shrimp,” which may need to be updated to read “Mobile Home of the Stuffed Shrimp.”
Contact the restaurant at (318) 631-9082 for more information.
If you’re interested in local food, please check out the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau’s new brochure, Eat Here: A Food Lover’s Guide to Shreveport-Bossier.