Our Story

After eighteen years of pounding nails in Grande Prairie, Cathy and I felt the salt water calling us home. In 2013, we traded the Alberta dust for the Twillingate breeze, and we haven’t sat still since! We didn’t just come back to retire; we came back to build a life and a community. From the Waterside Fish Market and Cottages to Ned’s Place and the Dinner Theatre, we’ve poured our hearts into every corner of this place. I even got my processing licence, so if you’re looking for the finest local cod, I’m your man. Today, our crew has grown to 33 hardworking seasonal and full-time staff who keep the wheels turning.

But if you’re looking for me, you’d best keep a quick pace! I’m Ernie Watkins, and you’ll usually find me somewhere between the fish market and the theatre at 115A Main Street. Whether I’m overseeing the catch or managing the books, no job is too big or too small. My love for the sea started as a nipper, waiting outside my uncle’s house before daylight, just aching for the call to head out. That smell of the ocean and the thrill of the catch—well, that’s « balm for the soul. » I fished for years before « heaving it down » to head mainland for construction, but twenty years later, I hung up the tool belt and returned to start my favourite chapter yet.

Beyond the business, we believe in looking after our own, especially when the snow flies. What started as delivering a few small hampers to neighbours in need has grown into the Twillingate–New World Island Christmas Hamper Project. Since we took over the Dinner Theatre in 2015, making sure nobody’s cupboard is bare for the holidays has become our true passion project. It’s been a long road from the mainland back to the islands, but between the fishery, the theatre, and even squeezing in a few weeks of hunting, I wouldn’t trade this life for all the tea in Newfoundland (and we luvs our tea)! And if you don’t believe me, check out the video below. See you on the water – Ernie.