Community Corner
Tadpoles in Brandon Lands A Crowd With 1st Annual Crawfish Boil
With 1,300 pounds of crawfish direct from Louisiana, the Tadpoles Crawfish Boil on May 7 helped re-introduce an old eatery to old friends and a new clientele in Brandon.
A little bit of Louisiana came to Tadpoles on May 7 with the newly re-opened sports bar restaurant’s First Annual Crawfish Boil in its new Brandon Boulevard location.
Hundreds turned out for the event, which included music by Bird Street Players, family fun bounce houses and, of course, lots of crawfish.
“We do this every year at my bar in Riverview [CJ’s Saloon] and it’s always a big hit,” said John Cook , co-owner of Tadpoles with his wife, Wendy, and Terry Haley.
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Still, even Cook was a little taken aback by the turnout.
“It’s a great turnout," he said. "I think we get a lot of people who may have a connection to Louisiana or New Orleans and others who just like that Mardi Gras atmosphere.”
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A Brandon icon for almost two decades, the old Tadpoles served its last meal five years ago after a dispute with the landlord over rent. The sports bar restaurant on Lithia Pinecrest Road was known for its family friendly atmosphere and support of local charities and youth sports.
Haley remembers it well, as the owner of the first incarnation of Tadpoles.
“We had a great reputation in the community and we know we have big shoes to fill here with [the new] Tadpoles," he said. "But it says it right there on our menu, 'History is hard to repeat but we will do our best.' ”
Tadpoles brought in 1,300 of Louisiana crawfish the night before the boil, which drew a large crowd to an outdoor tent behind the bar at 115 East Brandon Boulevard.
“It wasn’t enough crawfish,” saif Haley, as he surveyed the crowd and smiled. “Next year, we will order a lot more.”
According to Haley, some 1,300 pounds of crawfish was transported some 17 hours for the boil.
Troy Borne was credited as the chef.
The crawfish, he said came from Deep South Seafood in Slidell.
His love of crawfish, he added, took hold in his youth.
“I’ve been into crawfish all my life,” Borne said. “For 42 years I’ve been eating crawfish.”
Crawfish, he said, are good, spicy, a Louisiana tradition and “you find them in the swamp and you catch them by the neck.”
“You boil some water, put some seasonings in, let the crawfish soak and then take them out,” he added.
A portion of the proceeds from the event went to Haley House, a hospital for disabled veterans in Tampa. Tadpoles is also keeping a kitty as the owners prepare a donation for abused or neglected children.
For more information on Tadpoles, which also is available to host community events, call 813-662-FROG (3764).
