Stephen Hutson opened his boat-to-table seafood restaurant, Catch 27, on the historic streets of St. Augustine in January of 2013. Today, the restaurant is in a different location and can seat over double the capacity that the original restaurant did, but that relaxed, homey feel remains the same.
Hutson grew up in Tampa but spent his childhood visiting his grandparents in St. Augustine until he made the official move to college at Flagler University in the early 2000s.
He studied business and worked in the local restaurant scene for many years, often hosting weekly dinners with 20-30 college friends where he prepared home-cooked meals and welcomed the feeling of the community that accompanied it.
“I grew up watching a lot of the men in my family enjoy cooking, whether it was out on a grill or going fishing and bringing that in to prepare it,” Hutson said. “For the big family holidays, there’d be 50 of us and it was pretty equal participation in the kitchen.”
He credits his family for fostering a love of food from an early age, which inspired him to sign a lease and open Catch 27 alongside his wife, Lindsey, in 2013.
At the time, Hutson felt like Catch 27 was filling a niche in the St. Augustine community, providing fresh, locally sourced seafood that wasn’t deep-fried or over-processed. Word spread about the small but mighty restaurant, and within two years after opening, the 30-seated location would regularly see upwards of a two-hour wait.
Hutson’s wife urged him that it was time for an upgrade, a larger space, so Catch 27 changed locations in 2015 to where it currently sits at 40 Charlotte St.
Just this month, Catch 27 is unveiling even more upgrades to the restaurant, including a nearly doubled seating capacity and beautiful renovations to some of the existing spaces.
“We’re finally getting the property to what we envisioned when we first got it a decade ago,” Hutson said.
As the business grows, Hutson remains thankful to both his staff and the St. Augustine community for being dedicated and receptive to the restaurant.
“I think at every step of the way, the community and the people that I’ve gotten to know have been very supportive,” Hutson said. “I don't think I could have written this story. It’s been surprising. It’s been beautiful. It’s been tragic in some ways, resilient in others, and I’m very, very proud of what we've been able to accomplish.”
