Watch Toughest Summer Jobs on WTXL ABC 27 Wednesdays at 11 p.m. or Thursdays on WTXL Midday and vote for who you think has the Toughest Summer Job. Watch July 27th to see who takes home the trophy for This Year's Toughest Summer Job.
TALLAHASSEE, Fl. (WTXL) -- It is a snack that makes Dumbo go crazy. And not just dumbo. It’s a southern delicacy. Enter, Mr. 7 Hot Boiled Peanuts. They’ve been boiling peanuts and selling them in Tallahassee for five years.
"We started out in the backyard serving friends", said Eugene Rivers AKA Mr. 7, "Giving them different samples of the peanuts. And they seemed to like the peanuts that we made. So they took it and we decided to put in on the market."
Why Mr. 7? Because they sell seven different flavors of boiled peanuts, including original, sweet and spicy!
The process of cooking these tasty treats puts this family in the hot sun for hours!
"In the Summertime it is so hot", said Eugene. "And you have to be around the fire, the flame, the steam and everything.”
His daughter, Kizzy Rivers, is Vice President of Mr. 7 Hot Boiled Peanuts. She agrees. "It's a tedious process because we want to make sure our peanuts are boiled to perfection", she says. "Not too crunchy and not too soft. So we make sure we sit there and for a good six hours, maybe, at the most for our process."
Sitting in the steam and smoke isn’t the only difficulty. Mr. 7 and his family are in the hot sun almost every day, waiting for the customer to show up. "We sell and wait", Mr. 7 added, "That's the hardest part is selling and waiting on the customers to stop and come in. But its all good because at the end of the day, that's part of the business."
That business results with a perfect snack. But at the end of the day, the work is far from over. The next round of peanuts has to get started! “As soon as we leave here, we get ready", said Kizzy, "We gather our little campfire going. Get out pots and all the seasoning and everything. And we sit out there for hours at a time.”
“It will be really really hot but its all fair because we love it", added Eugene. "We love what we doing. And that's what makes it so important so we can put up with the heat.”
So, with that patience, determination, and love, Mr. 7 and his family are in the running for the title of “Toughest Summer Job.”
