Mystery behind new Palmetto restaurant runs deep. Almost as deep as the building it will occupy

A new sign outside the building at 704 10th St. W. in Palmetto announces authentic Louisiana cuisine is “Coming Soon,” and includes a website and phone numbers for potential new employees at Louisiana in a Box.

The website is vague. It’s one page offering up the same contact information and a chance to subscribe to their mailing list. The phone numbers ring until an automated voice announces that the phone subscriber has yet to set up voice mail. Their Facebook page also is vague with three postings, the first of which was in June. All three postings are the same image of the restaurant’s logo.

As of Tuesday, there were 81 people following the Facebook page, with a few comments saying how excited they are and asking when the restaurant will open. There are no responses to their comments or questions and the owners have not responded to multiple requests for comment from the Bradenton Herald.

A business tax receipt obtained from the city announces that the owners are Jermaine Davis and Tyrus Thomas. Is the secrecy because it may be the Tyrus Thomas who is a former LSU star and Baton Rouge native who went on to play in the NBA?

Building owner Trina Presha-Rozier denied the rumor it was that Thomas, but confirmed a lease had been signed.

Presha-Rozier said Davis was the primary point person and passed on two messages that the media was inquiring to no avail.

She declined to comment further on the building she owns under Illusions Inc.

Presha-Rozier, too, has a connection to the NBA, being the ex-wife of former Golden State Warrior and Southeast High School alum Clifford Rozier, who suffered from health issues and died after suffering a heart attack in July at age 45.

The plans for the restaurant are almost as big of a mystery as the building that would house it — almost.

The building used to be Club Elite, which closed shortly after a shooting in 2011 that left Trayon Goff and Gwenette Matthews dead after two gunmen armed with AK-47s entered the dance club and began firing. Their murders remain unsolved.

After the dance club closed, Kevin Parrillo saw a new vision for the building, wanting to turn it into Kevin’s Crab Shack with his sister Tina, a former Southeast High basketball standout who helped the Seminoles win a state title.

Parrillo, who was disabled but a skilled fisherman, planned to supply the restaurant with freshly caught crabs. But he never got to see his vision through to the end.

Parrillo was shot to death in Rubonia in 2012 after an argument with Charles Baker, who believed Parrillo was making untrue allegations about him. Baker went to Parrillo’s home where he opened fire.

Baker left the scene of the shooting and headed to the Skyway Memorial Gardens cemetery, where his father was buried. Baker’s daughter suspected that is where he would go and found her father standing over his father’s grave. She told him she loved him. He said, “I love you, too,” put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger.

Nevertheless, Kevin’s Crab Shack opened to rave reviews. It continued to rank high with customers, scoring a four out of five on TripAdvisor.com and four out of five stars on Yelp with almost 100 reviews.

The restaurant received 4.5 stars on its Facebook page out of 115 reviews.

The last review posted was in December 2016 before Kevin’s Crab Shack closed without notice, adding to the mystery of 704 10th St. W.

Palmetto Mayor Shirley Groover Bryant said there is already a lot of curiosity about what is coming.

“We obviously love to see redevelopment where it’s needed,” Bryant said. “Certainly that building has a troubled past, but I enjoyed going to (Kevin’s Crab Shack) when it was open so hopefully when they do open it will bring in a lot of people.

“But there is a lot of curiosity of what it may or may not be. A lot of people are waiting anxiously so hopefully they open their doors soon.”

For now, the mystery continues from within a building that has spawned tragedy in a variety of perplexing directions, but perhaps a new business is enough of a light to wash away the lingering darkness tied to a building that seems bound to misfortune.

“I’m hoping this will be the turn for that building,” Bryant said. “It’s a good location and I can’t wait for them to open.”

This story was originally published September 25, 2018 at 2:05 PM.