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For Keyona Falings - who spent time in the South cooking seafood, and her friend Joy Willis, who also loved creating dishes - starting the K & J Seafood Company was a dream come true. They opened a carryout in Clifton in March 2019, expanded to Findlay Market in September 2020 and are now in the process of opening a restaurant in Bond Hill.
Both look back and wonder how they did it. No loans were available for their first location, according to Willis. "It was extremely challenging," she says. "For months it was hard work, tireless nights. You know, up at 5 a.m. So everything came out of our own pockets and out of our own blood, sweat equity."