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 Pasco Gibson sits in front of what used to be his well known and dearly loved "Nichols Seafood" after Hurricane Ivan took it away. Sitting in front of his ruined restaurant, Pasco pulled up a crate and a couple of corona lights and reflected on his situation. Not one to be given to self pity he resolved to rise again. Just like the mythical phoenix. And... That is exactly what he did.
Nichols is going strong again at it's new location on Avalon Boulevard. Once again you can get the southern fried, Cajun style hush puppies and the "catch of the day". It comes with the same quality and flavor that has made Nichols a favorite of many for years. Every time I see this picture of Gibson, I am reminded of the old George Jones song. "Yabba Dabba Do" (the king is gone, and so are you) the jest of which is that the ol' possum had lost everything except a small table, a flint stone jelly bean jar and a Elvis decanter full of whiskey. Putting all of those together, you get a pretty sad picture and almost a perfect mental image of what depression might look like in a moment of self pity. All the more amazing is that Pasco did not throw up his hands and quit. He used the moment for reflection. Once he realized exactly what shape he was in, he resolved to rebuild and just worked harder than before. Hard work is nothing new to Pasco and the Nichols team. It's what goes on in their day to day operations. Nichols catches, cleans and cooks their own food. Shops for their vegetables just like the rest of us, and takes a personal pride in the quality and freshness the final product. So while Pasco Gibson Jr. may not quite be mythological phoenix he is certainly inspirational, and a role model for the times we live in. We could all use a little Pasco in us. |
