A mobile popup, a family recipe, and a lesson in betting on yourself
Where It All Started: A Kitchen Full of Memories
Ask Marquise Brown, owner of Flaming Fire Fish, when fried fish first became a big deal in his life, and he doesn’t hesitate.
“Family fish fries have always been a staple in the Black community, and for me, fried fish goes all the way back to my childhood,” he says. “My grandparents were from the South, and some of my earliest memories are of watching my step-grandfather in the kitchen frying fish. I can still remember that aroma filling the entire house — you knew something good was coming before you ever saw the plate.”
His step-grandfather’s fish was crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and “so good it would practically melt in your mouth.” But for Marquise, it was never just about the food.
“Fried fish meant family coming together, laughing, talking, and enjoying each other,” he says. “Those memories stayed with me, and that tradition is a big part of what fried fish means to me today.”
That step-grandfather, Johnny Reed, was from Jackson, Mississippi, and known throughout the family and community as a great cook and a respected family man. “When Johnny was cooking, everybody looked forward to eating,” Marquise recalls. One dish stands out above the rest: Johnny’s Coca-Cola glazed ham, its outside caramelized “almost like candy,” balancing salty and savory in a way that stuck with everyone who tasted it.
Johnny was proud when he heard Marquise had started Flaming Fire Fish — but he passed away before he ever got the chance to taste it.
“Even though he never got that chance, his influence is still a part of what I do,” Marquise says. “He showed me that good food is about more than taste — it’s about family, bringing people together, and creating memories that stay with you.”
Betting on Himself
Before there was any fish frying, there was a very different career. For more than 20 years, Marquise worked in workforce development and resume writing, helping formerly incarcerated individuals overcome barriers and find meaningful employment through a nonprofit. On the side, he built his own resume-writing business, Resume the Next Day, helping everyone from entry-level job seekers to senior executives polish their resumes, cover letters, and LinkedIn profiles.
The turning point came from an unlikely source: a rocky relationship with a supervisor.
“We just didn’t see eye to eye, and as I like to say, you can’t beat the supervisor,” Marquise says. “After a while, I realized I was tired of putting all my time and energy into working for someone else when I had always wanted to be a full-time entrepreneur.”
Looking back, he calls that difficult chapter a blessing in disguise. “It gave me the push I needed to finally bet on myself,” he says. “I decided it was time to stop treating entrepreneurship like a side hustle and start building something of my own full-time.” That decision eventually led him to Flaming Fire Fish.
A Happy Accident
Fittingly, the business that would define his career started with a mistake. Marquise and his wife tried Swai fish for the first time on a camping trip and loved it. Back home, she asked him to fry some up — despite the fact that he’d never fried fish before in his life.
“I bought some Swai, added my own seasonings to the fish fry, and she loved it,” he says. “Then she asked, ‘Why does it have a spicy kick?’ Turns out, I accidentally bought the spicy fish fry.”
That happy accident became the flavor people now associate with the brand — and inspired its name: Flaming Fire Fish.
Building From a Tent
Rather than sinking money into a storefront, Marquise built the business as a mobile popup — a decision that traces back to a single opportunity.
“The mobile pop-up model started with an opportunity to vend at PA’s Pumpkin Patch, one of the most popular pumpkin patches in Los Angeles County,” he says. His friend Dameon, of Kitchen’s Corner BBQ, partnered with him, serving barbecue alongside the fish. “It was a hit.”
“We were doing it all from a tent, and that experience showed me we didn’t need a storefront to build a successful brand,” Marquise says. “Tent vending kept the overhead low, allowed us to connect directly with customers, and gave us the freedom to take Flaming Fire Fish wherever the opportunity was.”
Rooted in Compton
Marquise wasn’t born in Compton, but it’s where he built his life — raising his family, earning his business degree, and planting roots that now run through his business.
“Compton is full of hardworking families, entrepreneurs, and people doing incredible things that don’t always get recognized,” he says. “I want Flaming Fire Fish to be another example of what can come out of this city.”
“For me, this is bigger than selling great fish,” he adds. “It’s about building a family legacy right here in Compton and creating something the city can be proud of.”
That community has responded in force. Flaming Fire Fish has grown to more than 11,000 Instagram followers organically, built through events, catering gigs, farmers markets, and word of mouth throughout Compton and surrounding cities.
“Our customers are family — we listen to them, learn from them, and make sure they feel the love in our food,” Marquise says.
The business gives that love back, too — providing free meals to people experiencing homelessness and families in need. Most recently, the team cooked fish and fries for kids at a back-to-school fundraiser.
The “Why” Behind It All
For all the growth, Marquise says his motivation has stayed remarkably consistent since day one: his kids.
“I started Flaming Fire Fish because I wanted to teach them about business in a way they could experience firsthand,” he says. “I wanted them to understand the value of great customer service, problem-solving, active listening, hard work, diligence, and perseverance.”
“But more than anything, I wanted them to see the entire journey — not just the success,” he adds. “I wanted them to witness my struggles, my wins, my losses, and the moments when things didn’t go as planned. I wanted them to understand that building something of your own comes with ups and downs, and that success is really about how you respond when things get difficult.”
What’s Next
Marquise has big ambitions for where the brand goes from here.
“In five years, I want Flaming Fire Fish to be the Raising Cane’s or In-N-Out of fried fish — big brand, simple menu, great food,” he says. “Fish, shrimp, and fries. That’s what we do, and we do it the best.”
Whether that growth comes through brick-and-mortar locations, franchising, or something else entirely, he’s still figuring out the path. What matters more to him is what doesn’t change along the way: “a simple business model, quality food, and a brand people love.”
Ultimately, success for Marquise isn’t measured in units sold or locations opened — it’s measured in legacy.
“Success to me is seeing Flaming Fire Fish live beyond me,” he says. “I want my kids to take what we’ve built, carry the same principles, passion, and business model forward, and eventually grow Flaming Fire Fish around the world. That would be the ultimate success — turning a family business into a family legacy.”
Ready to try it for yourself? Follow Flaming Fire Fish on Instagram to see where they’re popping up next — and come find out why they call it Flaming Fire Fish.