Last month’s opening of The Fisherman’s Wife Fish Market & Eatery in Thousand Oaks culminates the Williams family’s decades-long love of fishing. A true family endeavor, The Fisherman’s Wife is literally Dania Williams, owner of the establishment, along with her husband Chris, a lifelong commercial fisherman. Dania and their three children, Max, Anna and Micah, are involved in all aspects of the family business, from fishing, packaging and delivering fish to helping in the restaurant, while Chris fishes daily.
The idea to open a restaurant first surfaced during the pandemic.
“About 12 years ago we started selling our fish to the public at a farmers’ market in Channel Islands Harbor, Sunday mornings, from 9 to 2,” says Dania. Sharing recipes and tips on how to best prepare and cook the fish over the years with their regulars, “We really got to know our customers, as they came to buy fish for special occasions, like first dates, family visits, grandchildren in town.”
So when their customers began requesting home delivery of fish during the Covid shutdowns, Dania and the kids set to work packaging seafood and mapping out their delivery routes, quickly discovering that about 70% of their clientele live in the Conejo Valley.
Opening The Fisherman’s Wife restaurant quickly caught on, as all of the details easily fell into place.
“This has been the easiest hard thing we’ve ever done,” says Dania, noting how fortunate they were to find a fully built and ready to go location next to Nothing Bundt Cakes on Thousand Oaks Blvd. In the months leading up to the restaurant’s grand opening, the close-knit family worked together to transform the space into a special and welcoming place to dine that reflects their seafaring lifestyle and family values.
“We’re putting a lot of our lives into it,” says Dania, pointing to their favorite literature quotes on the wall gathered through years of homeschooling and pictures of the kids, fishing boats and their crew, who have also become part of the family.
“After 12 years of sharing recipes and providing fish, it’s time for us to serve up fish to our customers and share meals with people,” says Dania, who works in the restaurant along with the kids. Chef Yulian Navara serves up unique and delicious culinary creations, including ceviche, fish tacos, fish and chips, halibut, miso sea bass and specially prepared seasonal fresh fish of all kinds.
The Fisherman’s Wife plans to add breakfast on the weekends, complete with coffee and mimosas. Dine with them Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., at xxx Thousand Oaks Blvd in Thousand Oaks.
To find out more go to fishermanswife.com or call (805) 371-5651.
