Last Friday Eat My Catfish branched out into new territory, and learned a few things along the way. We hauled our trailer down to southwest Arkansas to the Nashville / Mineral Springs area to cater the J & M Manufacturing Christmas party. To most this company is simply know as the Mop Shop, and the hard-working folks working there earn that name. They make mops that are shipped to Walmarts all over the United States and the world. Needless to say, they deserved a lunch of catfish and chicken and all our delicious sides, along with chocolate, peach, and apple fried pies for dessert.

It was a LONG drive down there from Benton, so we wanted to share some interesting tidbits we learned along the way, thanks to an Iphone and Wikipedia.

Things we learned on our catering adventure to the Mop Shop:

1. The first Dillard's store opened in 1938 in Nashville, Arkansas.

2. The founder of E-Z mart opened his first store in Nashville, Arkansas.

3. In 1983 a dinosaur trackway was discovered just north of Nashville.

Which do you think is more impressive – the Dillard's store or dinosaurs?

We like traveling.  Please invite us out to cater an event in your region of Arkansas.

What makes our chicken special?

While catfish is our namesake, chicken is our little known specialty. If you haven't tried it yet, then let us explain why you need to.

Our chicken tenders don't come frozen from a bag, pre-battered and ready to fry.  They aren't wimpy little pieces intended to feed a four-year old.   The chicken baskets at Eat My Catfish are filled with big, crisp, hand-battered pieces of chicken.  Trust us, they’re good. 

Like our fish, our chicken is never frozen and always served fresh.  We marinate it to add flavor and juiciness.  Once you order, it's generously tossed in a batter seasoned with our own secret blend of spices. 

And while Travis may never reveal the secret to his Cajun seasoning, we all benefit from the result: a darn good piece of chicken. 

Eat My Catfish offers three and five piece chicken tender baskets that come with French fries and your choice of dipping sauce: ranch, honey mustard, or BBQ.  For the whole family, try the chicken family pack – 10 pieces of chicken, fries, and a pint of one side. 

If you've already had our chicken, leave us a comment below that tells us why you like our chicken.  We'll select one of you to enjoy a free chicken dinner on us.

Give the gift of Eat My Catfish for the holidays.

Have a catfish lover in your family?  Know someone special who is a regular customer here at Eat My Catfish?  Or is someone on your list just difficult to buy for?

Your gift solution: a $25.00 gift card from Eat My Catfish.   With this card, your lucky recipient will be able to enjoy any of our signature dinners.  It’s the perfect gift to enjoy now - or save for later.  With just a couple months until crawfish season, someone will be thanking you in February.

Our gift cards are a great idea anytime of the year, but for the Christmas season only, we have an extra treat.  Buy an Eat My Catfish gift card and receive half off a 3 piece Catfish dinner.  

 There’s only 21 shopping days left before Christmas – treat your friend or relative with the gift of catfish.

You might have been wondering where the Eat My Catfish trailer was the past couple of Thursday nights.  More caterings?  You bet.  These were special ones, as we were proud for the opportunity to cater events for two local organizations that provide activities for Saline County’s youth.

Two weeks ago we traveled to the historic Bauxite Community Center for the Saline County 4-H annual banquet.  A crowd of 125 kids and their parents dined on our catfish, chicken, and sides.  We stayed long enough to hear a few of the speeches, and it was an honor to celebrate a year of hard work with them.

This last Thursday we had even more hungry mouths to feed, particularly the mouths of the 4, 5, & 6^th grade players on the Patriots of the Benton Youth Football League.  It was all red, white, and blue in the Benton Middle School cafeteria, where their end of the year banquet hosted a total of 170 Patriot players, family, and supporters.  These football players had certainly worked up an appetite, making return trips through buffet line for more fries, hushpuppies, chicken, and catfish.  Go Patriots!

Thank you Saline County 4-H and Patriot parents - we are proud to support the youth of Saline County!