The story of San Diego native Tommy Gomes, host of The Fishmonger, and operator of "Tunaville" in Point Loma is a story about sinking to the depths, only to rise to success.
It is the story of a son dedicated to his father, his mother and to San Diego's long history as the tuna fishing capital of the world until hard times came for him and the local tuna industry. Earlier in his life, Tommy was submerged in a world of drugs, that led to years in prison that led to alcohol and homelessness. Yet through it all, he inspired others in ways unexpected and now has become a TV star whose show, The Fishmonger, is available in at least 19 countries.
I had the opportunity to spend some time with Tommy recently at the San Diego Press Club's Excellence in Journalism Awards event in Balboa Park at the International Houses. He was serving a dish from his Tunaville Market and Grocery, pickled tuna salad, which tuna boat crews ate for decades lived on as they worked and lived the life that doesn't exist in San Diego any longer. But Tommy Gomes has set a course to honor and remember those many fishermen who were part of this legendary history that helped make San Diego America's Finest City.
LISTEN TO PODCAST of my interview with Tommy Gomes
READ AND WATCH the story of Tommy Gomes as told by San Diego Magazine.
{Photo courtesy of Tunaville Market and Grocery)