Discovery Channel star Phil Harris, captain of the crab boat Cornelia Marie on the reality TV show Deadliest Catch, packed over 100 people into Poppy's Fish, Poultry & More in Morgan Hill during a Friday evening visit.
With Jimmy Buffet’s “Margaretville” blaring from the patio stereo, Deadliest Catch fans yelled “Hey Big Phil” and “Go Phil” as the Captain made the rounds on Poppy’s patio. With his omnipresent cigarette and Red Bull in hand, Harris signed autographs and took photos with fans and well-wishers, including Mayor Steve Tate. Harris made his only northern California appearance at the 3rd Street fish market as a spokesman for the Alaskan Brewing Company.
Deadliest Catch is a documentary-style show following the crews of six Alaskan crab fishing boats as they battle the weather and troubled waters of the Bering Sea to catch the lucrative king crab. Harris, who lives in Seattle during the crab fishing off-season, has been a commercial fisherman for over 30 years and currently captains a crew that includes his two sons, Jake and Josh.
Alaskan crab fishing is considered on of the most dangerous jobs in America, with high injury and fatality rates due to the severe weather conditions of the Bering Sea.
Morgan Hill resident Shane Ferrell brought his wife Boni, sons Jordan and Harrison and their friend Mikey to meet the Captain because “Deadliest Catch” is one of his family’s favorite shows. “It’s crazy, it’s real life,” said Ferrell. “It’s dangerous, they go out there to risk their lives, but you don’t really think about that when your eating crab…There’s guys falling overboard.”
Michael Castelan, who owns Poppy's along with his wife Jana, comes from a long line of fisherman, and said that Harris chose to make an appearance at Poppy’s because his family members knew the captain personally. “It’s a family,” said Castelan. “It’s a brotherhood.”
Poppy’s is an old-style fish market, deli and restaurant that sells fresh seafood, organic meats and cheeses, along with a wine and beer bar. Castelan named Poppy’s after his father, who was a fisherman and owned similar fish market in Walnut Creek for many years. Castelan’s grandfather, also a fisherman, helped found the city of Gig Harbor on Washington’s Puget Sound.
Poppy's Fish & Poultry Market contact information: poppy_fish@verizon.net, 778-3200.
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