About
Founder
Meet Forrest.
Yup, that’s me. You’re probably wondering how I ended up in this situation. How does an accountant end up becoming your neighborhood fishmonger? It all started long, long ago….
Okay, not that long ago - I’m only in my early 30s, but I’ve loved fish, the water, and nature since I was a kid. I had umpteen encyclopedias and dinosaur books and was always watching Animal Planet or the Discovery Channel. I didn’t have any sports heroes, but Steve Irwin was my guy, and you bet your ass I’ve seen every episode of River Monsters with Jeremy Wade. I was determined to be a marine biologist when I grew up, but as I got older, my priorities changed, and I ended up at Randolph-Macon College studying business.
I never seemed to fit the corporate mold and was drawn to startups and a faster pace. I was at some cool Richmond spots like Need Supply (RIP) and Common House (RIP), as I was drawn to the creativity, and then I finally secured a high-paying, fully remote gig, which also struggled to turn a profit (I’m sensing a pattern here). I later traded all that for some stability and took a role at the University of Richmond, but I was back in a cubicle, exhausted from the lack of interesting work. I started plotting my way out.
During the pandemic, we were all dabbling with new hobbies, and I was no different. I met my fiancée, whose family enjoyed hiking and weekend camping, so I rediscovered my passion for the outdoors. I was cooking a lot more and really found a love for food culture, and that coincided with the surging popularity of tinned fish in America. I was fascinated by it and went down several rabbit holes, and with that came my learning about the seafood industry as a whole. I started my Instagram account @thekelpforrest as a creative outlet, one where I could share all the fun things I was eating while also building a social space for my interests. For the next couple of years, the algorithm fed me all the food, restaurant, and CPG content I could handle, so I studied that information with a fervor and an additional lens on seafood.
We fast-forward a bit, and I see an opportunity to join Startup Virginia’s Idea Factory. My local seafood business idea got accepted, and I was off to the races. The program forced me into the small business community, and I realized it had been missing from my life for quite some time. I’ve truly enjoyed connecting with people all over Richmond, and it has led to some amazing opportunities. My next leap was joining the Food Shelfie program within VCU’s Da Vinci Center. I was surrounded by other great entrepreneurs in the food and beverage industry, and I laid a strong foundation for the eventual launch of East End Fish Co.
In January 2026, I quit my accounting job and started working at East End Fish Co. full-time. I was lucky enough to partner with Church Hill’s neighborhood grocery store, The Market at 25th, and secure a space already built for slingin’ seafood. Since then, the business has been rolling - I’ve expanded into Birdhouse Farmers Market, acquired a van, and am now exploring the wholesale side of things by working directly with local fishermen and farmers. I am active within the greater seafood industry in North America, always looking for what other states do well and how we can adopt better practices in Virginia. My goal has always been to bring more local seafood to Richmond, and I’m stoked to say it’s happening.
