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A longtime New Orleans crawfish boil caterer and food truck operator has set up a new permanent home in Gentilly, a meat market and takeout restaurant that adds smoked meats, sandwiches, and platters to his seafood boil repertoire. Chris “Shaggy” Davis and his team opened Nola Crawfish King Seafood & Barbecue on Franklin Avenue last week, and the crawfish is already boiling.
Davis, a former Port of Call cook and one-time Mid City restaurant proprietor, made a name for himself locally by putting on massive seafood boils through his catering business, NOLA Crawfish King. He gained national attention as well, boiling annually at Tennessee music festival Bonnarroo. He eventually created another brand for his barbecue, NOLA Cochon King, and last year set up a food truck for both on Franklin Avenue, not far from his new place. With a halt on events, Davis instead sold hot boiled crawfish for takeout and delivery, a huge hit for those looking to take advantage of crawfish season during the stay-at-home order last spring. In August, Davis packed up that mobile kitchen to head to Lake Charles, Louisiana, where he helped feed Hurricane Laura victims in partnership with Gulf Coast Disaster Relief.
In addition to boiling crawfish at the restaurant, Davis makes his own andouille, boudin, and hogs head cheese for the deli case, which also offers pastrami and house-smoked ham, turkey, and bacon. On the barbecue side, there are ribs, brisket, and pulled pork platters as well as sandwiches, wings, cracklins’, and meat and cheese-filled egg rolls. The shop also sells some local products like honey, spices, and jams.
Nola Crawfish King Seafood & Barbecue, located at 5321 Franklin Avenue, is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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