Humble beginnings
Since 1958, Old Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey, California, has been like another home to Dominic Mercurio. “A bunch of us used to come down here every day in the summer time,” he recalls. “We were 10 or 11 years old and would leave home in the morning and not go back until dark. We’d be fishing every day, catching little smelts or mackerel.”
A fisherman’s legacy
Dominic and his family are part of Monterey’s famous fishing industry legacy. Fishermen from all over the world who settled in Monterey enjoyed a bounty of sardines, squid and other seafood, but when the sardines vanished in the 1950s, the fisherman ventured north to Alaska for salmon and to South America for tuna, seasons that are still observed today.
“My father Jean introduced my brother and I to the fishing industry, and shared everything he knew. We are proud to continue his legacy,” Dominic says, pointing to one of the many family photos hanging from the walls of Cafe Fina. “He was born in a French province of North Africa. He was one of a group of Sicilians who went there to fish the sardines and who were kicked out during the French Revolution in the 1950s. That’s how he and his five brothers ended up coming here – for the sardines.”
Opening a restaurant on Monterey Wharf
Some years later, Dominic opened up one of the first Italian seafood restaurants in Monterey, naming it after his mother, Josephina. Family recipes passed down from grandmother to mother are still used at Cafe Fina to provide you with an authentic Italian seafood experience right here on the Monterey Wharf. In this Italian cuisine, homemade pasta and fresh fish has been the main course since 1989. “When the guys from the local fish company eat out, they come to my restaurants. When you work in the fishing industry, you only eat truly fresh fish,” says Dominic.
Growing our own vegetables for you
In addition, Dominic owns and operates a 25-acre stretch of sun-soaked land in Los Banos, California, which produces fine crops organic produce for a farm-to-table experience at Cafe Fina not found anywhere else on the Wharf. “Whether it’s seafood or fresh produce, we make sure that they are harvested only through the most environmentally-friendly and sustainable methods,” Dominic says.
Best Italian seafood restaurants in Monterey
In addition to Cafe Fina, Mercurio also co-operates Domenico’s On the Wharf with his brother Sam Mercurio and Sam’s wife Angeli, which serves fresh seafood and Italian cuisine and opened in 1981 on the Monterey Wharf. Both restaurants in Monterey serve only the finest in seafood and authentic Italian cuisine, and both offer incredible views of the Bay.
Widely appreciated
Dominic’s excellent cooking has enabled him to be the sole caterer for John Madden’s induction ceremony into the Football Hall of Fame in 2006, and he continues to tour with him every year on the Madden Cruiser to Canton, Ohio. Dominic has earned him visits from Rachel Ray, the Hillstrand Brothers of the Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch and other TV stars. Dominic is also committed to his local community, donating on a regular basis to a number of organizations in the Monterey area.