MAULDIN, SC – Don Deas, or Dontrelle, as his mother calls him, shares his first name with former pitcher Dontrelle Willis, but he is no longer playing fastballs.
“I gave up a lot of home runs, so I fried fish now,” said Deas, owner of the Low Country Shrimper in Mauldin.
The restaurant is a staple on the Golden Strip city food scene and Deas is enjoying his success with the addition of a second business, an ice cream parlor called Pop’s Cabin Creamery, next to the Mauldin Cultural Center.
It’s an exciting time, but also a scary one for Deas, who never thought he would own a restaurant, let alone open a second food store. When he was a child, said his mother, Agnes Deas, he dreamed of growing up and becoming a baseball player and she also never saw him practicing cooking.
But Deas, 47, said that after starting his career working at BMW and writing down plans for a restaurant over the years, he realized when he turned 40 that he was tired of being afraid to pursue his dreams.
“I woke up and said, ‘Dude, I just want to do something,'” he said. “I prefer to die knowing that I tried something than being on my deathbed and thinking about the things that I did in my life and did nothing … I just want to have some memories that I used this body, that I used this brain.”
And with that, he opened the Low Country Shrimper in November 2015.
The nostalgia of the hometown inspires the Mauldin restaurant
Here, where mouthfuls of fried fish, Otis Redding on the radio and walls decorated with nets and anchors define the scene, Deas is evoking a nostalgia for the days he spent fishing with his father on the channels of Pee Dee and Lowcountry. Born in Florence, he went upstate in the 1990s to play baseball at Spartanburg Methodist College.
Florence has a different pace, it’s a simple way to live, said Deas. It’s hard to identify, he said, but he tried to capture the same magic with his laid-back restaurant, which takes its name from a place Deas used to love, called The Shrimper.
“I grew up going there and had a taste of the South,” he said. “I just realized that (Upstate) didn’t have a place that reminded me of home.”
The taste of Deas’ food is inspired by his mother’s homemade food, which taught him how to season foods such as homemade pasta from the restaurant and his tartar and cocktail sauces, he said.
“My mom had a knack for making salt and pepper with different flavors,” he said.
His favorite dish on the menu, which is loaded with southern staples like po ‘boys, shrimp and beans and puppies, is the fried fish that reminds him of home, he said.
“It immediately reminds me of going fishing with my dad,” said Deas, remembering coming home and listening to his mother turning on the fryer while he showered.
‘If you love his food, you will love Dontrelle’
Deas crediting his mother as the main inspiration behind his restaurant means a lot, said Agnes Deas.
“Sometimes I get goosebumps just thinking about him, I’m really proud of him,” said his mother. “His spice could have started with me, but I think he took it a little higher to show who he is.”
Their neighborhood in Florence, where Deas and his three older brothers were raised, was a place where almost everyone loved to cook and it was also a place full of love, where you could borrow a cup of rice or sugar, she said.
This love resonates with the affection that Deas brings to his clients, as well as to his employees, many of whom are young locals whom he takes under his protection.
Shayla Reid, 20, said she loved her experience working at the restaurant. She started about three years ago after graduating from Hillcrest High School and is now working full time while studying psychology at Greenville Technical College, she said.
Reid said he learned to have patience and personal skills, how to do various tasks and become more responsible.
“I like to see the end result and feel that I have made a difference in someone’s life,” said Deas, noting that he often sees young employees’ personality and confidence blossom as they learn life skills, such as personal charm and service to the client.
It all translates into an atmosphere that has attracted a loyal customer base.
Simpsonville-based Gary and Sue Roderer said they frequent the restaurant a few times a week, often ordering fish or shrimp tacos and beans. They love the quality, consistency and variety of the food, the “homey” music and atmosphere and Deas’ friendly personality, the couple said.
“The taste of his food is who he is. If you love his food, you will love Dontrelle,” said Agnes Deas.
New Beginnings
amid the pandemic
COVID-19 didn’t make things any easier, but that didn’t detract from Deas’ vision for his business in Mauldin. Lunch and buffet sales had major impacts of around 60% and 80%, respectively, Deas said, but this was offset to some extent by dinner orders, including take-out food, which increased by about 50%.
“We are fortunate to keep our heads above water,” he said.
And now, Deas is grateful that his leap of faith in opening the Low Country Shrimper has spawned another opportunity, even amid the uncertainty of the pandemic.
He bets on the success of Pop’s Cabin Creamery, as the climate warms up and people look for a place to leave the house. The ice cream parlor is scheduled to open on March 1 next to the Cultural Center and with it Deas hopes that his relationship with the Mauldin community will continue to flourish.