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                                    12 January 2025 | BeaufortLifestyle.comHe 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. %u201cThis gives me peace,%u201d he says. %u201cI can run it with two staff, and I%u2019m 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.%u201d  %u201cI would rather take my food to the people,%u201d he continues. %u201cI love meeting them.%u201d  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.  %u201cMy mom was like that,%u201d he says. %u201cNo one who came to our house left empty-handed. My mother always used to say, %u2018A belly full is just a plain old belly full.%u2019%u201d Customers won%u2019t leave Tyger%u2019s 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. %u201cIt brings the food back to life, like it just came out of the hot grease,%u201d 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%u2019t 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%u2019re not a seafood fan, fear not. %u201cTygerqued%u201d 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 %u201cTygeroni%u201d (his own spin on macaroni). Tyger%u2019s 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. %u201cThey called me %u2018the Michael Jackson of Soul and Seafood of the Lowcountry,%u2019%u201d he shares, grinning. %u201cI like that.%u201d  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 %u2014 who had just a tent and deep fryer at that time %u2014 and ordered the seafood rice dinner. %u201cHe said it was the best cuisine he had ever tasted in all of South Carolina,%u201d Tyger remembers. %u201cHe%u2019s coming back again in June, and we%u2019re going to film something together for TV.%u201d  Clearly, if you do what you love and do it well, people will find you. Customers converge on Tyger%u2019s 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 %u2014 there%u2019s 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. %u201cThis is what I want,%u201d he says simply. %u201cA place everyone feels welcome and feels at home.%u201d  That doesn%u2019t 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. %u201cThat%u2019s really the only way I would do a sit-down restaurant,%u201d 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. %u201cI%u2019m glad I came back,%u201d he says. %u201cThis is a marvelous place. It%u2019s 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%u2019s important to me that God always comes first.%u201d %u201cWithout Him, there would be no success,%u201d he explains. %u201cI come from humble beginnings, and I love looking back at that, because I didn%u2019t 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.%u201d 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%u2019s 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. %u201cBellyfullians%u201d 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).Fish and Shrimp DinnerOyster Dinner
                                
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