Belly Full by Tyger

Cooking From the Heart
The Michael Jackson of Soul and Seafood

story by HEATHER STEINBERGER         photos by PAUL NURNBERG

You can still find traces of the old Lowcountry if you look past the booming development along the South Carolina coast. It thrives in pockets of the Sea Islands and on the mainland east of I-95, and if you take a drive, you just might find a hidden treasure.

One such gem sits at the corner of Highway 21 and Salkehatchie Road in Yemassee, a small town of roughly 1,000 people straddling the Beaufort-Hampton county line. As you pull into the parking lot, you’ll likely see people congregating outside a take-out window, and when you step out of the car, you’ll understand why — the tantalizing scent of fried shrimp and crab fills the air, warming an otherwise chilly winter day.

This is Belly Full by Tyger, a restaurant that specializes in traditional Lowcountry cuisine, the seafood and soul food cherished by generations in this part of the country. And it isn’t just any restaurant; it is the next step in chef Tyger Snell’s heartfelt mission to create a gathering place for families and friends to enjoy delicious, homemade meals together.

Tyger was born and raised in nearby Sheldon, where he says he was raised on the water and in the kitchen. His father, Daniel Snell Jr., frequently took his five children fishing and shrimping in the local tidal creeks and rivers, and Tyger practiced cooking at the side of his mother, Estella Snell.

“I learned to cook my favorites early on, dishes like shrimp and okra, and shrimp and grits,” he remembers. “I was the kid who always wanted to try different things, and who always wanted to lick the cake pan.”

“When I went to college, I would call my mom to ask how to make things, and she would walk me through it on the phone,” he adds with a chuckle. “I knew I wanted to do this for a living. I wanted to have my own restaurant, a place where I could make the dishes I grew up making.”

After his 1998 graduation from Battery Creek High School, Tyger briefly attended Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina, and then moved to Jacksonville, Florida. He had family in the area, he says, and he was eager to work.

“I wanted to get out of South Carolina and experience more of life and the world,” he says. “But then I found out my mom wasn’t doing well, so I came home.”

Tyger didn’t give up on his dream, however. He enrolled in the culinary arts program at the Technical College of the Lowcountry and completed an internship at the Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head Island; he was ready to expand his cooking skills and learn as much as he could about the restaurant business.
“My heart was just set on it,” he says. “I did learn a lot. My family cooked everything from scratch, so at the time, measuring was something new and different for me!”

The first big step in Tyger’s restaurant journey involved the purchase of a deep fryer and a small 6×12 utility trailer, which allowed him to deliver to local businesses and also serve the public from a tent at various roadside locations. Word quickly spread.

“I would have cars lined up in the median, waiting,” he recalls. “It came to an end when someone told on me. I didn’t know it wasn’t a legal setup and that I needed to get a trailer I could cook out of.”

Roughly two years ago, Tyger invested in a small food trailer he called the Belly Blesser. He put a deep fryer inside it, and for six months, he traveled the local circuit of festivals and special events.
The response was overwhelming.

“People told me the food was unique and amazing,” he says, smiling. “Sometimes I’d have so many clients, I couldn’t go past 5 p.m. I only had one deep fryer, and my grease would start burning!

“I made enough money to purchase a bigger Belly Blesser,” he continues. “Then, once I got the graphics wrap on the trailer, even more people found out about me.”

Social media helped fuel the rise in Belly Full by Tyger’s popularity as well. Before he knew it, he says, his Facebook page passed the 100,000-follower mark.

Tyger realized his dream of owning a standalone restaurant on March 30, 2024, when he opened the doors at 59 Salkehatchie Road in Yemassee, South Carolina. He offers takeout only, and at this point, he does not have plans for a dining room; he says a sit-down restaurant means more staff and different headaches.

“This gives me peace,” he says. “I can run it with two staff, and I’m only here Tuesday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. I still have the freedom and flexibility to take the food trailer out.”

“I would rather take my food to the people,” he continues. “I love meeting them.”

For Tyger, festivals and food-truck events are simply more opportunities to build connections and foster goodwill. As he points out, when we feed others, we are showing how much we care.

“My mom was like that,” he says. “No one who came to our house left empty-handed. My mother always used to say, ‘A belly full is just a plain old belly full.’”

Customers won’t leave Tyger’s restaurant or food trailer empty-handed either. His portions are generous, and he offers a quick tip: If you need to reheat leftovers, the air fryer is the way to go.

“It brings the food back to life, like it just came out of the hot grease,” he advises.

Tyger says he enjoys experimenting with new menu items, but he takes his time and is determined to not get overextended. He keeps his menu simple, especially for the food trailer, and longtime customers can rest assured that he cooks his dishes the same way he always has.

While they all sell well, fried crab and shrimp are particular favorites. If you can’t choose, go for the crowd-pleasing Belly Blesser with its heaping crab, oysters, and shrimp and fish on top of french fries.
Seafood rice is another winner, but if you’re not a seafood fan, fear not. “Tygerqued” ribs, deep-fried ribs, pork chops, and turkey wings also are on the menu, along with a full assortment of flavorful, home-cooked sides, such as red rice, collard greens and “Tygeroni” (his own spin on macaroni).

Tyger’s distinctive cuisine has grabbed the attention of customers near and far. Once, a group from a Las Vegas-based company ordered lunch and were so impressed, they invited him to Las Vegas to cater a private event.

“They called me ‘the Michael Jackson of Soul and Seafood of the Lowcountry,’” he shares, grinning. “I like that.”

Just prior to the holidays, celebrity chef Pedro Alaniz stopped at the restaurant to say hello and enjoy a meal. He first discovered Tyger when he was traveling I-95, stopped at a Sunoco station for gas, spotted Tyger — who had just a tent and deep fryer at that time — and ordered the seafood rice dinner.

“He said it was the best cuisine he had ever tasted in all of South Carolina,” Tyger remembers. “He’s coming back again in June, and we’re going to film something together for TV.”

Clearly, if you do what you love and do it well, people will find you. Customers converge on Tyger’s little corner of Yemassee during open hours.

Sometimes they drive 45 minutes or more, simply because they have a hankering for his cooking. The salty tang of the oysters, the sweet pop of fresh shrimp, the light golden breading he makes from scratch — there’s nothing like it.

And Tyger greets each person warmly, offering smiles and hugs, inquiring after family members or mutual friends, and chatting about the latest local happenings.

“This is what I want,” he says simply. “A place everyone feels welcome and feels at home.”

That doesn’t mean his mission is complete, though. Tyger still has big dreams: Not only would he love to ship the Belly Blesser to other cities so he can cook for people around the country for a month or two at a time (he has his eye on Seattle first), his ultimate goal is to buy land and build his own restaurant.
“That’s really the only way I would do a sit-down restaurant,” he muses.

There is no question in his mind about where he would make that long-term investment, either. The Lowcountry was, is, and always will be home.

“I’m glad I came back,” he says. “This is a marvelous place. It’s where I want to retire one day. Until then, I want to keep prospering, stay humble, and put God first. I was raised in the church from a little kid, and it’s important to me that God always comes first.”

“Without Him, there would be no success,” he explains. “I come from humble beginnings, and I love looking back at that, because I didn’t think any of this was possible. Now I know it is, because God specializes in making the impossible possible. God can do all things but fail, and He has brought me a mighty long way.”

Tyger plans to hold an anniversary celebration at Belly Full by Tyger in Yemassee during the weekend of March 29-30. In addition, he will have the Belly Blesser at a variety of South Carolina events in 2025, including the Black Food Truck Festival at Ladson’s Exchange Park Fairgrounds on April 26-27, Soft Shell Crab Festival in Port Royal on April 19, Taste of Beaufort on May 2-3, Original Gullah Festival of South Carolina in Beaufort on May 23-25, and Beaufort Shrimp Festival on October 3-4.

“Bellyfullians” also can catch Tyger occasionally on the weekends at Advance Auto Parts at 54 Robert Smalls Parkway in Beaufort or next to the BP gas station at 675 Kings Highway in Yemassee. To stay up to date, follow Tyger on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok (@bellyfullbytyger).