You can reel in a delicious dinner from locally owned Lizzy’s Seafood Boxes in Innisfil.
Elizabeth Itaman, also known as Lizzy, says she has always loved seafood. She founded her business in 2020 after her family emigrated from Nigeria in 2018.
The seafood boxes include a variety of boiled or grilled seafood, such as snow crab legs, shrimp, lobsters, scallops, crab, mussels and oysters. Side dishes such as jasmine rice, corn, potatoes and garlic bread are also available.
“Oysters are specifically in what (is called) the chef's special … the deluxe seafood boil. It contains peanut — it's a signature Nigerian spice," Itaman explained. "The name of the spice is suya … it's really good. Like, it's something that I don't do very often because I want it to be, to remain a signature (feature), but whenever it comes out, it's always a hit.”
Every seafood box is made to order and can be customized. Lizzy’s Signature Magic Sauce, which is made from a blend of fresh and dry herbs and described as Nigerian creole, can be mild or spicy.
“Since perfecting the sauce, it's been a hit,” Itaman said. “People keep raving about the sauce.”
Itaman told Village Media that it's important that her creations reflect and celebrate her Nigerian culture, as cooking is her “love language.”
“I love acts of service by cooking … It's my own way of communicating with somebody,” she said.
Before immigrating to Canada, Itaman was a pharmacist. She left a managerial role, as she was training pharmacists in Nigeria, but the education she completed abroad did not transfer to the Canadian health-care system.
Instead of giving up, she says she started over and earned her pharmacist’s licence in Canada in January 2023.
“I pretty much had to start from the ground up,” Itaman said.
Now that she has her licence, she explained that she still works in health care as a consultant.
“I have my own times, my schedule, so that way I'm able to accommodate my small business as well," she said.
As a consultant, small-business owner, wife and mother of a nine-year-old son and a five-year-old daughter, Itaman knows the importance of time management, as she grew up in a home where her father was always working.
“My parents are hard-working people, so I have that ... built in me,” Itaman said.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Itaman empathized with health-care workers who were working around the clock.
“It was hard to get good food to eat. I was able to come in contact with a couple of people who are health-care workers and they ordered seafood from me," she said. "And they told me how it really made a difference for them because, in the struggle of trying to fight COVID-19, they were able to find this small comfort for them and it meant a whole lot to them and their family."
With a couple of hours' notice, Itaman now offers boxes suitable for one to five people. She makes each order from scratch, so she can accommodate an order for 10 people with one day’s notice. She's also accepting catering jobs for larger events, such as office parties, weddings and anniversaries.
She created the gold and silver boxes with birthday celebrations in mind.
“They might be expecting chocolates or something, but they see this array of different types of things in the box,” Itaman said.
As a home-based business, she says Lizzy’s Seafood Boxes has been inspected by the public health unit and Itaman has her food handler’s certificate and safe check. Her husband, who's an engineer, advises and assists Itaman, which includes helping her load equipment and food into her car when she does a catering job.
“He has a way of arranging stuff, especially where everything fits … I don't know how he does it,” she said.
When asked about her favourite dish, Itaman said “the grilled tilapia. It comes with my signature sauce as well. It's made with a combination of peppers… and a particular oil from Nigeria, so it's really good. It's something people should try.”
Itaman was also asked about operating in Innisfil.
“It's a small town, but we're all very big at heart. We love to help people and come together as a community to make sure everyone is doing OK, even in these times are really hard. And I really appreciate that about the community," she said.
Itaman plans to offer specials for Thanksgiving, as 2024 has been a difficult year for a lot of people.
“The economy hasn't exactly been favourable,” she said, while also encouraging “families to just sit back, relax, try something different for a change.”
Check out Lizzy’s Seafood Boxes’ website, which includes a menu and order information for delivery and pick-up at 1551 Prentice Rd.
