BAYOU ICONS
A Family Tradition
Catfish Cabin of Monroe will celebrate 50 years of serving delicious meals. Today, the restaurant is owned and operated by the children of original owners James Russell Hearn, Sr. and his wife Norma Moore Hearn.
A R T I C L E BY G E O R G I A N N P OT T S A N D P H OTO S BY K E L LY M O O R E C L A R K
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n March 15, 2022, Catfish Cabin of Monroe will celebrate 50 years of serving delicious meals not only in Ouachita Parish, but also well beyond. Because of their commitment not only to their business but also to our community, Catfish Cabin of Monroe and the Hearn Family are our Bayou Icons for August. Today Catfish Cabin customers are to be found throughout north Louisiana, south Arkansas, and western Mississippi. Catering with onsite cooking available proved to be an excellent addition to their tableside offerings. It was added in 1988 when Graphic Packaging placed an order for Plant #70. Since then, they have catered events large and small, offering delicious food and personal service to groups of up to 1,300 people. The restaurant’s motto -- “Monroe Landmark & Hearn Family Tradition” – is an understatement. The restaurant is absolutely both a landmark and a family affair. Today Catfish Cabin of Monroe is owned and operated by Russell Hearn, Jr., Patricia Hearn Tolar, and David Hearn – the children of original owners James Russell Hearn Sr. and his wife Norma Moore Hearn. T h e O r ig in a l Fi s h C a m p But the story of the Hearn family tradition of family and good food begins much longer ago than 50 years. To understand the Catfish Cabin story best, one has to go back to 1937 to a family home and fishing camp located on the banks of the Tombigbee River in Lavaca, Alabama. Charles Agnew Ezell, James’s first cousin, and his family lived in an old log cabin that had served as a trading post during the Civil War. Many believe that the original dogtrot log structure was built by a French fur trader. According to the family, Charles worked with his father as commercial fishermen on the river. When his family outgrew the two-room dogtrot, Charles kept the cabin as a hunting club. When his hunting club members needed a meal, Charles began frying catfish and hush puppies for the members. Word got around and his reputation for providing good food led to Charles opening Ezell’s Fish Camp restaurant in the late 1940’s. The business grew with people traveling from miles around to eat at Charles’s fish camp on the river. This original catfish cabin by the river was to be the beginning of a family food dynasty that by the mid-1960’s had spanned well over a dozen successful family-operated franchise restaurants in Albertville, Birmingham, Phenix City, Gadsden, Mobile, and Tuscaloosa, WWW.BAYOULIFEMAG.COM | AUGUST 2021 73
