Our Story

Our story begins with Anthony “Arnie” Taranto, my father in law. As a young man growing up, working many jobs, whether it was delivering produce or working in a deli, he always talked about owning and running his own restaurant. Of course life takes you down your own path, so after retiring from McDermott, where he worked overseas as a crane operator, he found himself in Biloxi full time again with plenty of time on his hands. He reached out to us (Anthony and Gindy Taranto) and basically convinced us we could do this and make it work.

So in 2004 we found our building and opened up Taranto’s Crawfish, Poboys, & Seafood in Woolmarket-a seafood market, where you could pick up live or boiled crawfish, fresh or boiled shrimp, and boiled blue crabs. There were a few booths in there but really it was a place where you picked the seafood up and took it home to eat. The building was originally a feed store (I think) so we started the process of building it out and setting it up as a restaurant. We were set to open late 2005. I 100% believe God has perfect timing and a plan that is better than anything i could ever come up with! August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit and left the Coast devastated. We were among the many whose house washed away and were left with only a slab. Thankfully, Mr. Arnie’s house was good, and we were able to put our FEMA trailer in his front yard. Obviously this slowed our restaurant plans down and moved our opening date back. So February of 2006, we opened our doors and welcomed people in to serve them fresh hot seafood and poboys. I’m not gonna lie, it was a disaster! I didn’t know anything about the restaurant business… the only thing I knew was I liked to eat. Also, I’m a perfectionist, I like to be prepared, I like to know what to expect, and I want everyone to be happy. HA! Thank goodness Mr. Arnie could see the vision and believed the dream was possible, because I sure wanted to close up and practice more. I was so scared and remember feeling like we had bitten off more than we could chew. I’ll never forget him saying, “Awe, Kid we’re gonna be fine, we just gotta work the kinks out!” Thank goodness for his courage and will! He was right, after about 2 weeks we were getting it, things really started to fall into place. We were learning as we went, which isn’t always easy but effective. Mr. Arnie was loving it! He never met a stranger and would regularly pull a chair up and sit with our guests as they ate. Anytime you walked in, you could count on hearing him laughing or whistling. He was in his element. The restaurant business was still not easy but wonderful all the same.

Fast forward to March 2010, Mr. Arnie had a massive heart attack and passed away. It was awful. We were in shock and heartbroken, but still had to figure out how to keep going. It was a difficult time to say the least, grieving the loss of a father and also the wondering what the future might hold. So we picked ourselves up and carried on, still learning as we went… Over the next few years we experienced many things that affected our business: road closures, the bridge closure, and the BP oil spill just to name a few, and we adapted along the way. Thankfully we serve a God who always provides!

In 2020, Covid hit, it was such an uncertain time. Although many places closed down, we were able to stay open by serving people curbside. Again, I found myself thanking God, because so many people supported us through this time. It was nuts! We couldn’t cook the crawfish fast enough! We turned our parking lot into a 3 or 4 lane drive thru. We were able to keep the majority of our staff employed. It wasn’t easy but still wonderful none the less. So many times I remember thinking, “Mr. Arnie would love this! and I’m sure he’s cracking up at us in Heaven!”

Here we are in 2023, still trucking along. Our two kids, Kyle and Courtney graduated from college and both decided to work with us at the restaurant. It is truly a family owned and operated business. They definitely make things better and bring a new light to the table! It still isn’t always easy but Wonderful just the same!

Thank you for reading our story.

Gindy Taranto