Fred C. Millender
Florida's Forgotten Coast
Florida's Forgotten Coast oral history collection includes twenty-one interviews documenting the seafood industry in Franklin County, FL, with an emphasis on Apalachicola, plus two interviews relating to tupelo honey. Original Collection Housed at Archives & Special Collections at the University of Mississippi and online at www.southernfoodways.com.
Shelley Chance
Fred Millender has been working on the bay since he was a boy. Born in Carrabelle, Florida, in 1929, Fred's family saw opportunity in Eastpoint and moved there in 1942. At one time, the Millender family had three seafood houses along the bay. When Fred managed his own place, he had twenty-nine boats harvesting oysters. The seafood industry was booming in Eastpoint. Recently, though, among other problems, hurricanes have taken their toll on the area. But Fred is a survivor. He has found a way to keep Fred's Best Seafood afloat. Today, his daughter Susan operates the seafood house. But Fred still has hand in the business. He can often be found at his colorful roadside stand, chatting with a friend or smoking fillets of mullet for local fishermen. Fred is as colorful as the hand painted signs that flank his little market. Filled with fascinating stories and songs to share, Fred is a stranger to no one and friend to all.
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