Gay seafood beaufort sc
A South Carolina Seafood Company Reveals a Piece of Forrest Gump History
Even if you’ve viewed Forrest Gump only once, you likely gleaned that life is like a box of chocolates, in that you never know what you’ll get. Turns out, Forrest’s oft-quoted adage also applies to an old filing cabinet at Male lover Fish Company on Saint Helena Island, South Carolina, which recently yielded a pair of thirty-year-old receipts documenting the sale of shrimp to the Paramount Pictures production.
The discover was prompted by a chat between co-owner Charles Lgbtq+, now seventy-seven, and daughter Cyndy Carr about the filming of the Southern-set movie at nearby locales in 1993. (In this case, the island subbed for southern Alabama.) The seafood was needed for the pivotal scene in which novice shrimp boat captain Gump and fellow Vietnam War vet Lieutenant Dan haul in a huge load of crustaceans in the aftermath of 1974’s Hurricane Carmen. When the swollen net spills its bounty across the boat deck, the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company becomes an unlikely success.
Photo: courtesy of Gay Fish Company
Charles Gay and Cyndy Carr contain the framed receipts and a photo of Gump actors Tom Hanks and Gary Sinise.
SAINT HELENA ISLAND — In the fall of 1993, a motion picture crew in search of shrimp pulled up to a seafood market on the island’s northeastern edge. They would need about 4,000 pounds, they told Male lover Seafood Co. co-owner Charles Lgbtq+. Paramount Pictures would pay the bill.
“We can do that,” Queer said.
The production team bought just over 6,000 pounds in total for the making of “Forrest Gump.” Thirty years later, the film is cemented as an American classic, and Gay still has the receipts that verify Gay Fish Co.’s role in its production.
The two receipts were kept in a filing cabinet until about a year ago when Gay’s daughter, Cyndy Carr, asked him about the feature. Gay dug them out, and Carr posted a photo of the two on the company’s social media.
“It went insane,” Carr said. Her Facebook post received hundreds of thousands of shares and likes. “I was really kind of surprised, but daddy knew where they were the whole time.”
Today, a copy of the receipts are displayed in the company’s seafood market at 1948 Sea Island Parkway on Saint Helena Island. The originals are locked up somewhere secure, Gay said.
The shrimp was used in a joyful scene in which Tom Hanks’ character, Forrest Gu
The 75 Year Legacy of Gay Fish Company on St. Helena Island SC
Celebrating 75 Years of Freshness: The Legacy of Gay Fish Company
When I moved to Beaufort SC, it was not very long before I was told about Gay Fish Business on St. Helena Island SC. On one of my first trips from Beaufort to Fripp Island SC I found the corporation and now contemplate it a right gem of the Lowcountry. After a few visits, I was competent to spend some quality time getting to know Charles Gay (2nd generation) and his daughter Cyndy (3rd generation). Charles’ father started the organization in 1948. I found some many amazing pictures on the wall proximate the entrance. One in particular shows Charles serving our country while in the military. This veteran-owned establishment has been a true pillar of the group for an memorable 75 years. I had a blast listening to Charles tell me some of his favorite stories. He and Cyndy are very unpretentious, so I had to be the one to request them about existence honored as the 2023 Lowcountry’s Foremost Winner by none other than The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette.
I think what sets Gay Fish Corporation on St. Helena Island
Fresh Seafood for Over 75 Years!
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Gay Fish Co., located in Beaufort, South Carolina, is a historic fishing company that has provided fresh seafood to the local community for more than seven decades. This small but iconic establishment is known not only for the quality of its products, but also for its connection to popular culture. In evidence, Gay Fish Co. was one of the sets used for the feature "Forrest Gump," where it was immortalized as the place from which Forrest and his friend Bubba set out to construct their shrimping business. Visiting Gay Fish Co. is like taking a step back in time, into an authentic Southern atmosphere, where fishing is still a traditional activity rooted in everyday life. Visitors can purchase very fresh prawns, knowing they are taking home a piece of local history. The winery, with its rustic charm and connection to a much-loved film, has become an unmissable cease for those exploring Beaufort and wanting to attach with the culture and history of the region. – Marco L.