We talked about Ted’s Range Road Diner the other day. Well, another Meaford institution is back in action. Back in the 80s, Roberta and John Avery opened the Fisherman’s Wharf – a restaurant, pub and motel at the Trowbridge bridge over the Bighead River. The “Wharf” quickly became a success, and when the Averys sold it, Gary Skrepnek ran the establishment for well over a decade. Gary sold the Wharf a few years back to Mick and Christine Mould, who’d recently arrived in Meaford from the Whitby area of Yorkshire, England with their sons, Thomas and Roderick. In the years since, the Wharf has seen a few changes. For awhile, the Moulds ran the restaurant, then they leased it out to a couple of entrepreneurs. After a brief stint as the Blue Bay, Dawn Nicholson renovated the premises and returned the old establishment to its original moniker, running the business successfully for a couple of years. But last spring, Dawn closed the business, and for the first summer since the blogger arrived in Meaford, there were no pints on the patio overlooking Meaford harbour. It seemed a Meaford tradition had come to a close.
Well, the Moulds have decided to bring the Wharf back to life, and the new “Fisherman’s Wharf at Peggy’s Landing” restaurant and pub has opened its doors once again. (The new addition to the name, Peggy’s Landing, refers to the name David Miller christened the promising new settlement when he first pulled up his boat near the Wharf in 1838 – after his wife, Peggy.)
Fisherman's Wharf Pub
Roderick is working in the kitchen, preparing meals in the Gastro Pub tradition – putting a gourmet twist on traditional pub fare and using local ingredients as much as possible, including suppliers such as Sun Rise Organics, Ashanti Coffee, and the Moulds own farm garden.
We enjoyed a beer there on the weekend, and Mick says he expects to have the draught taps running again very soon. And if the weather cooperates, we may yet have that pint on the patio and maintain a two-decade tradition.
Meaford Harbour from Fisherman's Wharf
