You can keep your lobsters with their snooty tails and your scallops with their delicate little berets — here in the San Francisco Bay Area, we worship at the altar of Dungeness crab. The crack of shell against mallet? That’s our church bell. Melted butter? That’s holy water.

I was born in this fog-soaked cradle of seafood glory, where November 16 once reliably meant the start of crab season and the countdown to my December birthday feast. Sagittarius doesn’t need sunshine — we prefer claws.

Then came the dark years…
Domoic acid. Migrating whales. Delayed openings. Broken hearts.
Foodies wept into their sourdough loaves.

But I?
I adapted.
I evolved.
I formed… a cult. (A delicious cult.)

Every year my friends and I created what can only be called F-movies — so bad they’re fabulous — featuring buckets of crab, too much wine, and the annual ceremonial death of Paul McGregor. Bless him. A true hero. A true martyr. A true crab casualty.

As life shifted, houses sold, vans became homes, and Joe’s Crab Shack went to the great franchise graveyard in the sky — the tradition refused to die.

This gallery is my thank-you letter to:

• The Bay Area

• The ocean

• The brave crabs who gave their lives for deliciousness

• And the weird, wonderful humans who made every birthday unforgettable

Foodies of Earth — this one’s for you.

🦀 Welcome to my Dungeness Crab Obsession.🍽️
Please wipe your hands before scrolling — butter ruins screens.

🎬 Tré Taylor’s Birthday Crab Dinner Horror Comedy Film Series: An Origin Story

Long before I was boiling crustaceans in parking lots and shooting my friends on-camera for laughs, when I saw 1980 movie Airplane! - I whispered to myself, “Someday, I will make the stupidest, dumbest, most ridiculous films ever put on Earth.” Dyslexia may have made scripts a nightmare, but improv was my jet fuel — and I grew up with a soundtrack scoring every ridiculous moment of my life.

So when the Dungeness season synced with my December birthday and a table full of high friends, butter, and crab-cracking tools appeared… destiny called, wearing a bib. Thus began a saga of low-budget seafood horror that would make even Leslie Nielsen proud. 🎉🦀💀

Do stupid fun stuff

with your goofy fun friends!

IT KEEPS YOU YOUNG!

🦀 Crab Jam Tailgate: A Love Story of Two Sagittarius Sisters🏹

Crab Jam Tailgate was born from the unstoppable birthday hunger of two Sagittarius sisters: Tré Taylor (December 13) and Valerie Wilson (December 16). What started as a secret tradition of sneaking away for Dungeness crab turned into a full-blown tailgate feast and musical celebration spanning more than twenty glorious years.

Valerie is the fearless captain of the boil — rolling up with the giant pot and cooking every beautiful crab with precision and heart. Tré melts the butter, bakes something divine, and handles all music operations — including ridiculous, AI-assisted crab anthems that make everyone dance like crustaceans on a disco floor. Together, they are the Crab Queens of December - April.

When the pandemic shut the world down in 2020, these two refused to surrender their birthday joy. They packed their vans, drove to Pillar Point Harbor, and hosted the first official Crab Jam Tailgate. Outdoors. Safe. Sunshine or rain. Socially distanced but emotionally overflowing. The tradition saved their sanity — and every year since, more and more friends, musicians, and dog-loving seafood fanatics have joined the fun.

Crab season is unpredictable now — whales, storms, and environmental challenges keep delaying the catch — which makes every cracked claw feel even more precious. But whenever the weather cooperates and the crabs arrive, the music plays, the butter flows, and the community shows up.

Crab Jam Tailgate isn’t just a party. It’s a celebration of friendship, resilience, Bay Area foodie culture, and the sacred December ritual of the Dungeness-obsessed.

Here’s to many more years of laughter, live music, delicious crab, new friends at the harbor, and the eternal rule:

No birthday is complete without butter on your fingers.

🦀✨
Love, Music, Food, Art, and Fun
Tré & Valerie — The Crab Queens