FOOD By Michael Donahue
Where Good Times Roll
PHOTO: MICHAEL DONAHUE
Stanley Perrin II and Jamey Fleming “We actually started as a food trailer last year during Covid,” Perrin says. “It was the same food we’re serving in the restaurant — chargrilled oysters and po’ boys and Cajun food.” Growing up in Arlington and Bartlett before moving to Southaven, Perrin, who played football at Bolton High School and at Austin Peay State University, worked his way up to line cook assistant at his first job at a Bartlett steakhouse. He jotted down his thoughts about food in school. “I still have a notebook to this day that has menu ideas in it. I’ve always been into food and cooking. I’d just be sitting in class thinking about what restaurants aren’t around and what kind of food I would like to eat or cook.” Perrin got into the printing business and, eventually, opened Revolution Printing & Graphics. Fleming, who was working on an oil rig in St. Croix, came home for a visit, but, because of the Covid pandemic, couldn’t re-
turn to the Virgin Islands. Perrin’s printing shop was open, but business had declined because there were no trade shows. Cynthia and Tod Fuller, Fleming’s mother and stepfather, brought oysters from their home in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, during a visit. “We cooked them for the family and everyone was telling us how good they were. Just joking, we said, ‘We can do this on a food trailer and make money off it.’” But it became a reality. The Fullers, who moved to Southaven to open a food truck, let Perrin and Fleming use their trailer to open their own food truck. “We used their trailer for two months. And then we made enough money to get our own trailer.” They grew a “really big following” before they decided to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Olive Branch. They brought in the Fullers as well as Perrin’s wife, Tiffany; Fleming’s wife, Megan; and their in-laws, Joey and Tracy Kinnett. Jamey runs the kitchen and the Fullers run the front of the house. “The rest of us pitch in on different projects behind the scenes.” Everybody contributes to the menu. “My father-in-law makes one of the most popular things: the étouffée balls. It’s our crawfish étouffée mixed with bread crumbs and rice and rolled into a ball and deep-fried.” Other items include Crazy Fellas chargrilled oysters, which include bacon, garlic butter, parmesan cheese, and their house blend of seasonings. They recently added hamburgers, including the Fat Tuesday burger, with shredded pepper jack cheese, fried jalapeños, purple onions, and a tangy mustard. Desserts include king-cake bread pudding, which features two layers of bread with a cinnamon sugar center and a cream cheese icing with “traditional purple, yellow and green sprinkles on top,” and bananas Foster pudding with caramelized bananas cooked in rum. They serve other types of food, including tacos. “We’re trying to expand to try to offer more than just the Cajun seafood. We want to have a steak night. We don’t want to get away from our base, but we would like to add a couple of other things. ’Cause not everybody eats seafood.” And that doesn’t sound crazy. 2 Crazy Fellas is at 6518 Goodman Road, Suite 108, Olive Branch; (662) 408-4815.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
S
tanley Perrin II and his brother-in-law, Jamey Fleming, are the “2 Crazy Fellas” at their restaurant of the same name. They’re owners of the Olive Branch, Mississippi, restaurant. But six more people — family members who are also owners and work there — fall under the “crazy” category. That’s “crazy” — as in “crazy like a fox.” The restaurant was bustling when my sister and I visited on all-you-can-eat catfish night. People dined in and others picked up to-go orders at the restaurant, which specializes in Cajun and is decorated year-round with colorful beads and other Mardi Gras items. We watched gumbo and mounds of whipped cream on banana pudding pass by.
m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m
2 Crazy Fellas serves Cajun and more in Olive Branch.
19
