‘Sustainable’ fishmonger opening seafood market in Dundas
Rebecca deWildt's love for seafood goes a long way back - and across the country.
Growing up, she spent summers visiting her relatives in Prince Edward Island, where she ate lobster fresh from the boat and dug up clams for dinner.
And in recent years, she found herself working in restaurants across Ontario that happened to specialize in seafood.
I've always had a passion for seafood, and working with it," the Ancaster native said in an interview. Every fish is different. The range is so vast with what you can do with any type of seafood."
After moving back to the Hamilton area from Toronto four years ago, deWildt said she found it was really hard" to find sustainable, high-quality" seafood in the city's west end.
To fill that gap, deWildt will be opening her own fish market in Dundas later this month - bringing her passion for seafood to homes (and dinner plates) across the city.
Pinbones Fish Market, located at 29 King St. W., will offer a selection of fresh, frozen and smoked fish as well as pantry items such as canned Atlantic lobster and P.E.I. mussels, and hot sauce from Hamilton's Steel City Sauce Co.
She plans to carry seafood such as spot prawns, crab, halibut and a variety of fresh oysters, and the shop will special order live lobster. The stock will also change on a weekly basis, depending on what's fresh, available and in season.
For deWildt, one of the most important features of the market is what will set it apart from the fish counter at the grocery store.
Her offerings, some of which will be organic, will be sourced to ensure they are responsibly farmed, sustainably caught, traceable and of restaurant quality.
I think it's really important to look into who I'm buying it from and if their values align with mine," said deWildt. You feel better about buying it, versus the big stores where you have no idea where (the fish) came from or how they got it."
The market will also offer a grab-and-go section, which will include marinated fish, skewers, fish cakes, crab cakes, stocks and soups, she added.
Hoping to open her doors by the end of August, deWildt said she is excited" to help people bring more seafood to their dinner plates, while joining the local business community.
As we renovate, people have been popping their heads in and saying we're the missing piece of the puzzle for Dundas," she said. It's really nice to hear."
Fallon Hewitt is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach her via email: fhewitt@thespec.com