Essay About Monterey Street And Mike Rathle

Azalea
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The aroma of boiling crawfish and shrimp and the sound of “A Pirate Looks at Forty”
filled the air on Monterey Street on the temperate May 2001 evening as block party
guests mingled and sampled the libations provided by their hosts. Jimmy Buffett songs
were frequently heard during such events in Mobile, Alabama, since the famous musician
lived there until his graduation from McGill-Toolen High School in the late
1960s. The Monterey Street Spring Fling block party was one of Mobiles great traditions.
Mardi Gras balls had concluded more than two months earlier, and weekend
trips to the cottages and antebellum homes along Mobile Bays Eastern Shore were still
a few weeks off. For many, the third Saturday evening in May was best spent socializing
with old friends and new acquaintances amid the residential streets 100-year-old
live oaks and mix of Craftsman, Victorian, and Georgian homes that dated to the early
1900s.
Mike Rathle and John Addison had tended the boiling 25-gallon pots of crawfish
and shrimp since late afternoon. As they cooked pot after pot of shellfish, they had
chances to catch up with old friends–some of whom asked about their business. Azalea
Seafood Gumbo Shoppe catered special events like the Monterey Street block
party, but, more important, it was among the largest producers of ready-to-eat gumbo,
with annual revenues in 2000 of more than $1 million. In 2001 Azaleas products could
be found in approximately 1,000 supermarkets and were served in about 300 restaurants
in the southeastern United States. Mike Rathle commented on why he and