Panama City native Phillips bringing fresh seafood from the Gulf to city with new business

July 25, 2022 | 12:09 am

Updated July 25, 2022 | 12:06 pm

A Panama City native is bringing the luxury of fresh seafood to Owensboro with his new business, providing the community with shrimp and more “straight off the boat.”

Bumbo’s Breakfast Gumbo has been in the works for two to three years according to owner David Phillips, but they just wrapped up the business’ first few weeks open. He is bringing a special service to the area, as he makes the 16-hour trek to the Gulf Coast and back every other week to retrieve fresh seafood. 

“My wife and I moved to Owensboro about two years ago, so now we’re trying to bring our culture to this city,” Phillips said. “Most places get seafood off of trucks, so I figured it would be a great service to just go down to the boat myself and get some seafood that’s fresh.”

Phillips is not serving hot food to the public just yet, but customers are sure to find something they want within his wide range of food on the menu. As of now, shrimp is the only item he keeps stocked on his truck.

“When we make future trips, if there’s something that a customer wants like oysters, crab, or any type of gulf coast fish, we’ll take personal orders and bring up whatever they want,” Phillips said. 

When Phillips does begin serving hot food off of his truck, his signature item will be a breakfast gumbo, which was the dish that inspired him to start this entrepreneurial journey. 

“One morning around three years ago I was sitting in a restaurant that made breakfast gumbo down south in a place called Satsuma, Alabama and they were selling those things left and right down there,” Phillips said. “That was the morning I walked out, called my wife and told her I had an idea for our business.”

Since then, Phillips has spent the past few years building his own food truck to avoid any debt. However, this is still under construction, so the Gulf Coast shrimp is a “pilot business” to help Phillips finish up his truck, and can be bought from the truck or delivered to a customer’s front doorstep.

Until he’s ready to start serving his gumbo and other ready-to-eat products out of his truck, Phillips is offering an event catering service. To learn more about where the truck is parked, how to book them for catering, or how to order seafood for delivery, visit their Facebook page here.

July 25, 2022 | 12:09 am

Share this Article

Other articles you may like