From dogs and furniture to seafood, Susan Wagg and Eddie Vulcano came from backgrounds that couldn’t be further from what they do now.
Just over a year ago the couple bought The Dock restaurant and began learning the ropes of a seafood restaurant.
Wagg had been working for her parents at their dog kennel for 18 years and when they decided to put the business up for sale, Wagg and Vulcano decided to buy The Dock.
“All of a sudden I went from taking care of dogs to cooking,” said Wagg. “I served at A&W. I was the drive-thru girl, so that was as close to the food as I had ever been.”
Wagg and Vulcano had to learn how to cook the menu from their new staff because the cook at the time left before they took over ownership.
“The last year has been a major learning curve,” said Wagg. “We had a lot of damage control to do because the people that had it for five months before us didn’t do so great so we’re still trying to bring it back to where it was.”
The Dock works closely with their neighbours at the Fisherman’s Market to get high quality fresh fish to serve to their customers.
“All of our fish is cut, cleaned and flash frozen on the ship and brought straight to us,” said Wagg.
The Dock has made a few changes to their menu but over all has kept a lot of the old favourites.
“I got rid of all you can eat prawns. It didn’t really work,” said Wagg. “I brought in sautéing stuff, because I’m a celiac and I know a lot of celiacs there isn’t a lot of things you can eat. People with a gluten intolerance can eat fries here for sure and they can eat great fresh sautéed fish.”
The fish and chips continue to be a favourite at The Dock, but due to the cost of halibut Wagg and Vulcano are serving cod and haddock.
“Haddock is kind of new to this market but it tastes exactly halibut,” said Wagg. “It’s the Britain fish and chips. That’s by far my favourite and it’s great to sautee because it’s thick and has some texture to it.”
For those who aren’t seafood fans, The Dock also has great burgers handmade with Creston free-range beef and buns from the Kootenay Bakery.
“I really try to keep thinks simple and not complicated,” said Wagg.