From Clam Farmer to Shellfish Camp
Owner and clam farmer Mike Sullivan has spent more than 20 years raising clams. He spawns and grows clams for the restaurant while also supplying clam seed to other growers, including farmers in Cedar Key and Virginia.
After problems in Mosquito Lagoon destroyed his successful New Smyrna Beach clam-farming operation, Mike began searching for another location. He purchased the current property in 2014, started the permitting, clearing, and building process, and received his certificate of occupancy in January 2017.
A Tribute to Commander Harold H. Sullivan
The Commander’s Shellfish Camp was created as a tribute to Mike’s father, retired U.S. Navy Commander Harold H. Sullivan. The restaurant opened in April 2017, allowing Commander Sullivan to visit several times before his passing at the end of July 2017.
Born and raised in Erie, Pennsylvania, Commander Sullivan volunteered for the U.S. Navy and served for more than 30 years. A Pearl Harbor survivor, he saw action in the Pacific Theater during World War II as a surface sailor and member of an underwater demolition team before becoming a commissioned officer and ship’s captain.
Assigned to duty in Jacksonville in 1963, he later retired as Executive Officer of the Fleet Training Center at Mayport Naval Station in 1970. After his Navy career, he worked in Jacksonville real estate. The naval memorabilia displayed throughout the restaurant comes from Commander Sullivan’s service, and his favorite dish was clam chowder.
