Ronnie & Viola West, Hayes, VA, Email: vabluecrab@cox.net
Virginia Blue Crab Co. is a small family operated business located in Gloucester VA run by Ronnie and Viola West. Ronnie is a 3rd generation waterman who started crabbing at the age of thirteen during school breaks with his father. In 1991 he purchased his own boat, which he named Monika E after his daughter. The company expanded in 1995 when Viola opened a crab picking house. Ronnie has been at the helm while Viola runs the business on land. The Monika E and crew bring in fresh crabs from the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.
At the crab house, the crabs are first steamed and then picked by hand before packing in containers for sale or made up into crab cakes, crab soup, deviled crabs or the very popular drab dip. While crabs are the focus of the business, Ronnie catches seasonal fish such as croakers and rockfish, and they also have a shed for soft shell crabs. Ronnie and Viola started a food truck in 2016, serving seafood dishes at local festivals and private events in the Tidewater area.
Ronnie and Viola have been at the Williamsburg Farmers Market since 2012, and they love the feeling of community, getting to know their regular customers, and bringing the freshest, best quality seafood to market!
