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As it turns out, this decades-established New River Valley staple for nautical fare is dichotomously named after a beloved landlubbing pet – the late Indigo Iris, a blue/brown-eyed Dalmatian.
Sweet mascot Indigo Iris passed many years ago, but her namesake, Indigo Farms Seafood, thrives on and consistently draws a crowd. When the white box truck with the oceanic blue logo shows up in the neighborhood, a line immediately forms. Alphabetically from artic char to wahoo, and everything in between (crab, mussels, shrimp, tuna, etc.), along with sundry prepared items like North Carolina blue crab dip and lobster bisque, you never quite know what is available until the laminated menu gets posted on the open back door.
Lovingly monikered the “Fish Ladies,” Susan Handy and Teresa Nester started the mobile business in 1993. It became a regular pilgrimage, bringing fresh seafood back to Floyd County after visiting family in Atlantic Beach, N.C.
“I was three years old when they started doing that,” Julee Brown says. Brown is the niece of Handy and Nester and was a member of the family they visited in Atlantic Beach. She grew up with a passion for the ocean and associated recreation, namely surfing and boating. Three years ago, she bought Indigo Farms Seafood when her aunts declared imminent retirement. “Fish Niece?” Maybe?
“They wanted to keep the business in the family, but most importantly they wanted somebody with a strong work ethic,” Brown explains. Since she started selling seafood in the sixth grade alongside her social studies teacher, locally known as “Blue Jeep,” Brown was a natural fit to be the fish ladies’ successor.
Brown now also calls Floyd home. She drives to the North Carolina coast every Wednesday morning, loads the truck with whatever fresh seafood is available and returns Wednesday evenings. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays she is around the New River Valley sharing her sea bounty with mountain folks. Just as plastic is harmful to sea life, it is thusly so for purchasing fresh seafood; the fish truck accepts cash or check only.
Indigo Farms Seafood is a HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) certified business, which assures a commitment to food safety above all else. In addition to the individual customer, it also supplies several area restaurants with fresh seafood, like Not Your Mama’s Pasta in Blacksburg and Buffalo and More in Riner.
“I love being involved with the community. Seeing regular customers every week and hearing about their travels and various things going on in their lives. It’s very different compared to most jobs,” Brown states. It’s clear that sense of community translates to the customer experience.
Cathy Shaut, Floyd resident and patron of Indigo Farms since 2001 offers: “They are always very friendly. You get a sense they are here for you, the customer, making sure you get the best, most consistent experience.” Her husband, Paul, agrees, “The seafood is so fresh. We don’t have to second guess anything. They always have a good assortment, but we can request special orders, too.”
Katie Blair of Blacksburg found the fish truck after a simple Google search for fresh seafood in the area. “I wanted to make several seafood dishes for a special occasion dinner for family from Wisconsin where fresh seafood isn’t readily available. I wanted an alternative to the farm-raised products in the grocery stores,” she explains.
When asked if she has big plans to expand the business, Brown responds: “Not really. I’m always seeking to better Indigo Farms, but it’s such a staple [as is], and I think people like the simplicity. It’s almost like one of those things, ‘don’t fix what isn’t broken.'”
Now the original fish ladies spend retirement entering food competitions for fun, ones that involve not only seafood, but steak, pork and specialty ingredients. “Quite often I’m the taste-tester before they leave for competition,” Brown declares. Impressively, and perhaps not surprisingly, this year they hold first and second place in Virginia and third and fifth in the nation.
Every year the extended mountain-dwelling fish family gets together at Misty Mountain Camp Resort in Albemarle County. Traditionally, the reunion occurs on the weekend of the Commonwealth Clash football game, Virginia Tech vs. UVA.
The tailgate fodder? “All types of stuff … steak, ribs, a great Brunswick stew.” Well, that and, of course, seafood.
Text by Nancy S. Moseley
Nancy S. Moseley is a freelance writer in the New River Valley and lover of all seafood. She has been known to take a 5-hour day trip to the Virginia coast for an all-you-can-eat crab leg seafood buffet. (Seriously, why do they even bother putting anything else out?)
TRUCK SCHEDULE: indigofarmsseafood.com
CONTACT: seafood@indigofarmsseafood.com
540-763-2323
