FUNDING FOR GREATER CHATTANOOGA IS PROVIDED BY EPB FIBER OPTICS A LOT OF PEOPLE COME TO THE RESTAURANT AND SAY, 'IT JUST FEELS SO MUCH LIKE HOME WHEN WE EAT IN YOUR RESTAURANT.'

YOU KNOW, ALMOST A SPIRITUAL-LIKE THING IN A WAY.

I'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE.

I FEEL LIKE I'VE COME TO GRANDMA'S KITCHEN AND GRANDMA COOKED UP SOME FRIED FOOD.

THEY KNOW ME.

THEY KNOW MY VOICE OVER THE PHONE WHEN I CALL IN AN ORDER.

IT'S FRESH, IT'S HOT, IT'S DELICIOUS.

THE PEOPLE ARE FRIENDLY.

WHEN YOU COME THROUGH THIS DOOR, IT'S JUST LIKE YOU'RE MY FAMILY.

IT'S EVERY RACE OF PEOPLE GETTING TOGETHER DOWN THERE AT UNCLE LARRY'S AND JUST REALLY ENJOYING THEMSELVES, LIKE IT'S A REUNION, A FAMILY REUNION.

THAT'S THE KIND OF EXPERIENCE THAT WE WANT YOU TO HAVE AT UNCLE LARRY'S.

LIKE YOU'RE JUST RIGHT AT HOME, PART OF THE FAMILY.

COOKING BRINGS YOU TOGETHER.

IT'S LIKE A FAMILY THING, AND THAT'S WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT.

MY MOTHER WAS ALWAYS ABOUT FAMILY.

MY MOTHER COOKED SUNDAY DINNERS.

AND YOU KNOW, I REALLY DON'T KNOW HOW SHE WAS ABLE TO FEED ALL THESE PEOPLE.

GOING BACK AS FAR AS I CAN REMEMBER, ALL MY COUSINS, UNCLES, AUNTIES CAME TO MY GRANDMOTHER'S HOUSE EVERY WEEKEND.

NO MATTER IF WE ATE HAMBURGER MEAT AND RICE, SHE WAS GOING TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY ATE.

THAT WOMAN ALWAYS HAD EXTRA FOOD FOR WHOEVER WOULD COME.

I USED TO GO INTO THE KITCHEN WHEN I WAS YOUNGER AND WATCH HER PREPARE MEALS, SO I GOT THAT FROM HER.

I LEARNED HOW TO FISH WHEN I WAS, I WOULD SAY I WAS ABOUT 12.

THAT WAS WHEN I WAS IN OHIO, BUT ONCE I GOT HERE TO CHATTANOOGA, I CONTINUED TO WANT TO FISH.

AND THIS WAS BACK IN MY DRINKING BEER DAYS.

I WOULD GO CATCH A LOT OF FISH, AND WE WOULD FRY FISH AND DRINK BEER.

AND THAT'S HOW IT ALL GOT STARTED.

I STARTED TELLING LARRY, I'M LIKE, DUDE, YOU HAVE GOTTEN AWESOME.

I'M NOT TRYING TO TOOT YOUR HORN, IT'S NOT BECAUSE I'M YOUR WIFE.

YOU'VE REALLY GOT A GOOD RECIPE.

BECAUSE EVERYBODY WOULD ALWAYS TALK ABOUT IT.

WE'D GO TO FAMILY REUNIONS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE, AND PEOPLE WOULD SAY, 'LARRY'S GOING TO FRY THE FISH, LARRY'S GOING TO FRY THE FISH!'

I WAS LITERALLY LIKE FOUR AND FIVE YEARS OLD AT THE FAMILY REUNION AND THAT'S WHAT MY DAD WOULD... 'WHEN'S YOUR DAD COMING TO COOK FISH?'

AND IT'S LIKE, WE'RE HERE FOR A FAMILY REUNION, TOO!

I MEAN THIS IS THANKSGIVING!

AND SO THEN ONE THANKSGIVING, WE HAD A FAMILY MEMBER COME UP FROM VIRIGINIA, AND SHE SAID, 'I EAT A LOT OF FISH, AND THIS IS ABOUT THE BEST FISH I'VE EVER HAD.'

AND SO TERI SAID, 'SEE LARRY, THAT'S YOUR CALLING.'

OF COURSE I DIDN'T AGREE WITH THAT.

I DIDN'T THINK WE COULD MAKE A LIVING WITH ME FRYING FISH, BUT THAT'S HOW UNCLE LARRY'S GOT HERE.

WHEN MY WIFE WAS TELLING ME I SHOULD GET INTO FISH, RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO THE CHURCH IS WHERE THIS RESTAURANT IS.

A FELLOW DEACON HAD THIS PLACE AND SAID, 'YOU CAN GO IN THERE THE FIRST THREE MONTHS FREE.'

I WENT AND GOT SOME OLD KRYSTAL TABLES, GOT THEM FOR $15.

WENT AND BOUGHT SOME CHAIRS FOR $10, AND STARTED FRYING FISH OUT OF HERE.

IT WAS NOT WHAT YOU SEE NOW, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?

AND IT'S FUNNY, BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE, A LOT OF CUSTOMERS ARE LIKE, 'OH Y'ALL ARE MOVING UP!'

AND I'M LIKE, EIGHT YEARS AGO, OH NO.

WE WEREN'T EVEN THINKING ON THAT SCALE.

I THINK WE MADE LIKE $150 AND WE WERE HAPPY.

YES!

$200!

YES!

WE WERE LIKE HIGH-FIVING EACH OTHER, OH MAN, WE HAD A GREAT DAY TODAY!

BUT THE THING OF IT WAS, I COULDN'T DO IT BY MYSELF, SO I HAD MY WIFE, AND I HAD MY BROTHER KEVIN.

THOSE TWO?

I CALL THEM THE TWINS.

BUT I LOOK BETTER.

NO, WAIT A MINUTE.

HOLD ON A SECOND.

THEY WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR EACH OTHER.

SO, KEVIN.

AND MY NEPHEW, JERMALE MAFFETT.

I WAS MAINLY RUNNING THE CASH REGISTER, AND LARRY WAS THE COOK, AND JERMALE WAS MAKING THE PLATES.

YOU KNOW AND I USED TO LIKE COOK THE GREENS AND THE POTATO SALAD.

NOW?

HE IS AN EXPERT.

'WELL, YOU NEED TO DO THIS WITH YOUR POTATO SALAD.'

I'M LIKE, 'LISTEN HERE, BROTHER!'

MY MOM IS JUST REALLY... DON'T TELL HIM I SAID THIS, OKAY?

I THINK SHE'S A BETTER COOK AT OTHER THINGS.

WE PUT IN ALL THE HOURS.

FROM THIS SEVEN-TABLE RESTAURANT RIGHT HERE, TOOK CARE OF ALL OF US.

BUT IT'S DIFFICULT RUNNING A RESTAURANT WITH JUST FAMILY, TOO.

BECAUSE THAT CAN BE A TOUCHY THING.

IT'S NOT ALWAYS ROSES.

I'VE ACTUALLY BEEN FIRED 13 TIMES IN A ROW, BUT I'VE COME BACK.

I'VE LEFT HERE BEFORE AND CAME BACK, I'VE LEFT AND THEN CAME BACK.

BUT IT JUST TOOK ME AS A YOUNG MAN GROWING UP TO BE AN ACTUAL MAN TO REALIZE THE OPPORTUNITY THAT I HAVE WITHIN MY FAMILY.

IT'S A FUNNY THING THAT EVERYBODY ALWAYS SAYS, IS FAMILY AND BUSINESS DON'T MIX.

FAMILY AND BUSINESS CAN MIX, YOU'VE JUST GOT TO HAVE THE RIGHT INGREDIENTS.

I'VE SEEN IT COME FROM US EATING FISH AT FAMILY REUNIONS TO, YOU KNOW, WHERE IT'S AT NOW.

IT'S JUST, YOU CAN'T MAKE IT UP.

SEEING IT GROW FROM ONE RESTAURANT TO THREE RESTAURANTS, FROM THREE EMPLOYEES TO TWENTY EMPLOYEES, IT'S LIKE, THAT'S MY UNCLE!

IT'S MY FAMILY DOING THIS.

WE WENT FROM PEOPLE JUST HAPPENING INTO THE PLACE TO NOW, PEOPLE TELL ME THAT THEY PLAN THEIR VACATION AROUND UNCLE LARRY'S.

IT SHOWED UP AS NUMBER ONE ON TRIP ADVISOR FOR CHATTANOOGA.

THE WIFE AND I ARE LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO RETIRE, AND WE HAD TO CHECK OUT THE FOOD SPOTS.

PEOPLE COME IN AND SAY, 'HEY, WE GOOGLED Y'ALL AND IT SAYS IT'S THE BEST FISH IN CHATTANOOGA, AND WE WANTED TO COME HERE.'

OR PEOPLE SAY, 'HEY, I DROVE TWO HOURS JUST TO COME HERE TO EAT.'

IT'S LIKE, WOAH.

IT WARMS ME UP INSIDE TO SEE SO MANY PEOPLE JUST HAPPY AND HOW THEY SAY, 'OH, THIS IS JUST SO GREAT!'

SOMETIMES YOU JUST DON'T WANT A BIG BOX BURGER OR THIS OR THAT.

YOU WANT SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

AND WHEN YOU CAN GET THAT FRESH AND LOCAL, AND YOU KNOW THE PEOPLE, THOSE HOMETOWN GEMS ARE ALWAYS PRETTY GOOD.

WE GET SO MANY COMMENTS, 'YOU KNOW WHAT?

THAT PEACH COBBLER TASTES LIKE WHEN MY GRANDMAMA FIXED IT,' 'OH YOU KNOW, I REMEMBER WHEN MY AUNT SUCH-AND-SUCH USED TO FRY FISH LIKE THIS.'

YOU KNOW?

STUFF LIKE THAT.

IT REMINDS THEM OF HOME.

NOT FEELING LIKE IT'S SOMETHING IN A REGULAR...

I WON'T SAY THE NAMES OF THE OTHER FISH PLACES, BUT IT TASTES LIKE GRANDMA'S, WHAT ABOUT THAT?

IT FEELS GOOD TO SEE PEOPLE JUST SITTING BACK ENJOYING IT, YOU KNOW SOMETHING THAT BASICALLY WE CREATED.

I THINK UNCLE LARRY'S, IT'S SAFE TO SAY, IS BECOMING A STAPLE HERE, YOU KNOW, A GO-TO SPOT.

AND THAT'S WHAT I'M PROUD OF.

I'M REALLY HUMBLED BY IT.

I MEAN, I REALLY AM.

THIS HAS DONE TOOK OFF.

MY FAMILY, WE LACKED NOTHING THROUGHOUT THIS.

IT'S REALLY HUMBLING, REALLY HUMBLING.

GOD HAS BLESSED US TO MAKE A LIVING OFF OF THIS, BUT I DON'T THINK THAT ANYBODY, TERRELL, JERMALE, KEVIN, LARRY, THEY GO DOWN THERE WITH MAKING MONEY IN MIND.

IT'S JUST LIKE GOING DOWN THERE AND ENJOYING THEIR DAY AND WHATEVER GOD SEES FIT TO BRING.

I THINK THAT HAS BEEN THE SECRET TO THE SUCCESS.

I COULD CLOCK INTO THIS PLACE AND NOT GET A DIME AND STILL WANT TO DO IT FOR MY DAD.

SO THAT'S, YOU KNOW, NOT TO GET...

I'M GOING TO GET CHOKED UP, BUT IT'S JUST, HE'S AN AMAZING MAN.

I CALL HIM 'UNCLE DAD' SOMETIMES WHEN I MESS WITH HIM, BECAUSE HE HELPED RAISE ME, SO LIKE I SAID, IT'S KIND OF CRAZY JUST TO SEE HIM COME FROM WHAT I'VE SEEN HIM COME FROM AND GO THROUGH TO BE AT THE POINT TO NOW WHERE HE HAS THREE RESTAURANTS AS BLACK MAN IN CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE, AND TO WHERE A LOT OF PEOPLE LOOK UP TO HIM, IT'S REALLY MIND-BLOWING.

IT REALLY IS MIND-BLOWING.

I THINK THE BIGGEST GIFT I CAN GIVE HIM IS TO JUST HAVE HIS BACK, LIKE I SAID, AND CARRY ON WHAT HE WANTS ME TO.

YOU KNOW, HE TELLS ME ALL THE TIME, IT'S LIKE HOW FAR I WANT TO TAKE IT.

AND MY THING IS, I WANT IT TO GO AS FAR AS IT CAN.

THAT'S WHAT I SIGNED UP FOR, IS TO HELP KEEP IT GOING.

YOU KNOW, FOR ME AND TERRELL TO BE ABLE TO HELP MY UNCLE, HIS DAD, TO BE ABLE TO SIT BACK AND ENJOY WHAT HE HAS DONE, AND BE PROUD OF US AS YOUNG MEN TO HELP KEEP IT GOING.

IT'S BEEN AWESOME TO SEE THEM STEP UP.

AND TO KNOW THAT ME AND LARRY HAVE GOT MORE YEARS BEHIND US THAN WE'VE GOT IN FRONT OF US, AND TO KNOW THAT I FEEL LIKE THAT, WHEN EVERYTHING IS SAID AND DONE, IT'S BEING LEFT IN GOOD HANDS, IS JUST GREAT.

IT'S GREAT.