Wahoo Seafood Grill

Shawn Shepherd, owner of Wahoo Seafood Grill, grew up helping his mom cook for his six siblings. His family moved from Ohio to Tennessee to Alabama and then to Mississippi, but no matter where they lived, you could always find Shepherd learning how to create a new dishes alongside family, friends, and neighbors... anyone who would let him in their kitchen. He especially loved visiting his grandfather, who owned a seafood restaurant in Pennsylvania. When Shepherd joined the Navy, he wanted to be a cook, but the Navy wouldn't let him because his testing scores were too high. After nearly 7 years, he was honorably discharged and he worked as a cook by day and bartender by night. Eventually, he opened his first restaurant, Shepherd's, in 1999.He went on to operate several successful restaurants after that, and in 2013, he partnered with Butch Monaghan. Together, they opened Wahoo Seafood Grill in Gainesville followed by the Tallahassee location in 2015.