RUSKIN, Fla. — As we approach the six-month mark from when hurricanes Helene and Milton hit Tampa Bay, we’re revisiting a Ruskin restaurant that served its community in ways, the owner says, she never would have imagined.

And in turn, the community came together and helped her reopen.

What You Need To Know

  • Julie Cockerham wasn't sure about The Fish House's future after last year's hurricanes

  • Just as she came through for her community with an impromptu hurricane relief center, she says her community came through for her

  • Cockerham's home also flooded during Helene, but she says she focused on getting The Fish House back up and running first

Julie Cockerham, who owns The Fish House, is back and busy, serving up Ruskin’s’ best fried seafood to all of her favorite customers. But she admits, back in October after back-to-back hurricanes, she wasn’t sure this would be possible.

“We were flooded, and our tin came off our roof and everything. We realized we couldn’t open right away, so we turned the front end into a hurricane relief center," Cockerham said. "It was wonderful. It restored my faith in humanity once again."

Blood, sweat and tears is what she says it took to reopen, but just as she came through for her community back then with the impromptu hurricane relief center, her community came through for her.

“People coming, they drive by and they heard about our situation and they would see me up here and just say, 'Hey I can do this, I’m an electrician,' or 'I do flooring,' offering their time and their services. So overwhelming,” she said.

Now that The Fish House is back open, all of her regulars have returned too, like Terry Wells and his wife.

“It’s exactly the way your mother would have fried fish or seafood for you when you were a kid,” he said, adding that’s not entirely what keeps him coming back to the Fish House.

“Julie is a pretty amazing person, and she’s been through a lot of hardships, and the cool thing is that whenever we go through difficult times, the number of people that have helped her, it’s amazing,” Wells said.

And while Cockerham is too humble to take credit for the impact she has made in this community, she says the storms served as a good reminder for everyone to look out for each other.

“Just taking one day at a time, being grateful for everything that we have, and just remembering that even though the storm is gone, people are still recovering,” she said.

Cockerham's home also flooded during Helene, but she says she focused on getting The Fish House back up and running first.