Kelly's Seafood celebrates 40 years of family, faith and food

While fish may not literally swim through the veins of any human, seafood could metaphorically run through the bloodlines of the Curry family.

Kelly’s Seafood is living proof.

The Christian-based fish camp that’s been around for 40 years sits stably along Dixon Boulevard in Shelby.

Husband and wife team Daniel and Candice Curry said they couldn’t do it without each other and the foundation on which the business was built, much less the secret recipes and pillars of faith.

Kelly Curry started the business in 1984, and he ran it until 1999.

Daniel Curry worked for his father before he took over the family business.

He and his sister grew up at Kelly's Seafood, her starting work there at about 14. He began cleaning tables at the age of 12.

By 14, he was cooking.

“I loved it, even at an early age, I loved it,” he said.

In one of his grade school yearbooks, Curry answered the age-old question, what do you want to do when you grow up with – run a fish camp.

“It's just always been in my blood. It's just always been one of those things I've wanted to do,” he said.

And two of his three children have expressed the same desire.

Many family members continue to work side-by-side in the Shelby restaurant, and they still serve Grandma’s secret slaw recipes.

One of the most popular items on the menu remains the filet of flounder.

Because it is a family business, the restaurant will sometimes be closed for a week for vacations, and weekly they’re closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Faith is also at the foundation of the business.

Each workday begins with a prayer circle which used to include holding hands before COVID, now the team touches elbows.

And every takeout order has the message, “Jesus loves you.”

Curry said he thinks it benefits both the writer of the message and the recipient.

To see the menu, hours of operation and more, find Kelly's Seafood on Facebook.

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Kelly's Seafood celebrates 40 years of family, faith and food