RICHMOND, Va. — Ty Walker and his wife Shannon own and operate Smoke in Chimneys trout farm in New Castle, Virginia. In this Eat It, Virginia episode, Walker joined Scott and Robey and shared how hard work and faith helped his family revitalize a 1930s trout hatchery.
"We started farming [on my grandparents' land] almost 10 years ago," Walker said. "We were there for maybe five years. We were living in a single-wide trailer. We'd had our second kid. And this opportunity came up with this trout hatchery. It was a really, really hard decision but, there was an actual house on the property, you know what I'm saying? It was kind of just like a sink or swim thing, like this niche farm-raised trout thing could do great, or it may be the stupidest idea in the whole world, but we just felt we should try it. So yes, we are a revitalized 1930s trout hatchery where we raise trout for table fare."
Watch: What is Smoke in Chimneys?
He discussed the challenges of starting and running a sustainable fish farm, including public perception, infrastructure limitations, and high start-up costs.
"To be totally, brutally honest, this is our fifth year. Most up until now it's been like just trying to survive. So it's like, we got to be in every restaurant, we got to be processing fish. It still is literally like my only income," Walker said. "The first two years, we were just trying to figure out what in the heck we were doing. It took us weeks to figure out how to get the water on. You know what I'm saying? It's like cast iron valves. It's like, well, if we're going to raise fish, we probably need to get the water on. Basic stuff, right?"
Watch: How Ty Walker's childhood got him into fish farming
Walker also touched on the big role faith has played in his business.
"We started the whole thing with literally, I had $6 in my bank account. And I'm just like, God, I'm here, I felt like, we were supposed to be doing this and I just remember hearing that verse, 'we walk by, faith and not by sight,'" Walker said. "So it's like, even though I don't see the results, even though I don't see all the pieces coming together, maybe something's happening by me just continuing to keep going, that it'll kind of work out."
The Walkers have a prayer room and personal retreat cabin available for rent on the property.
Watch: Hard work and prayer keep Ty Walker's Virginia trout hatchery running
"I used to be on staff at a house of prayer when I lived in Pasadena, California. At that time, I had a lot of mental health issues, depression, just mentally I was jacked up," Walker said. " Prayer, for me, just like, reading the Bible, and just trying to find out who I was, it really just centered me and honestly, sort of, you could say, saved my life. So, for me, it's not really about a church thing or even doing the right thing. You know, it for me, it's just like, Dude, this is how I'm able to run a business, have time for my kids, be a nice husband, you know what I'm saying? I wouldn't be able to do that just on my own. Just like strength, like every day I need, like divine intervention to like, help me. Does that make sense?"
Other topics discussed in this episode include:
- The restaurants Robey included on the July 2024 Hot List (1:58)
- The situation with Brittanny Anderson and the Pink Room (8:22)
- An update on the whereabouts of Richmond chef Bobo Catoe (11:20)
- The mystery and annoyance surrounding the lack of prices on menus (13:05)
The best ways to reach the podcast are through Instagram DMs and email.
This episode is sponsored by the Virginia Museum of History & Culture and its new exhibit Julia Child: A Recipe For Life.
