Page 66 - South Mississippi Living - September, 2026

THE WOMEN OF
Taranto’s
STANDING LEFT TO RIGHT: Dallas Smith,
Jordyn Cox, Destiny Counts, Hillary Gonsoulin,
Anna Hennig, Hollie Reed, and Siniyah Wells
Gindy Taranto, owner with her husband Anthony of
Taranto’s Crawfish, Poboys & Seafood, was inspired to open
a restaurant by her late father-in-law, Arnie Taranto, and
her mother, Mary Vuyovich.
“He asked us about going into business together,” she
recalls. “We didn’t know anything about the restaurant
business. What we did know is that we love good seafood
and people, and after watching my mother Mary Vuyovich
run a successful business for over 20 years I felt like I had a
good idea of what it looked like to keep a business going.”
After her father-in-law’s passing, the Tarantos turned to
Mickey McElroy, who’s like a second father to Gindy, for
help to learn about food costs, pricing, and labor.
66 | September 2026 For Gindy, the customers are the best part of running
a restaurant. “We have the best customers in the world. I
enjoy getting to talk to them and catch up on what’s going
on in their lives,” she says. “What makes Taranto’s special
is the whole team, meaning every person who works with
us. We are a family and we treat everyone who comes in like
they’re part of the family too.”
There are some new items on the menu now including
boiled blue crabs, shrimp or fish tacos, and a few other
things are in the works.
The Tarantos believe in helping the community. They
have a Blessing Box on the west side of the buidling where
people can leave pantry/shelf stable items for those in need
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