Mike’s Seafood Celebrates Centennial

In 1911, Lodovico (better known as Dewey) and Rosina Monichetti arrived on Ellis Island. From the island of Ischia, right off the coast of Naples, the Italian immigrants came to the United States on a rickety old boat with very little money or understanding of the English language.
When the Monichettis got to Ellis Island, they hopped on a train. The ticket master asked them where they wanted to go, but they could not understand him due to the language barrier.
Realizing this, the ticket master simply pointed in each direction and asked “north or south?” At the same time, both Lodovico and Rosina exclaimed, “South!”
It was a wise choice. When Lodovico pulled all of the money out of his pocket, the ticket master showed the couple on a map how far they would be able to go.
When they arrived in Sea Isle, Lodovico and Rosina were not welcomed by the residents. At a time when segregation still ran rampant through the United States, they were told that Italian immigrants had to go to the back bays.
Lodovico and Rosina went to the back bays, where they bought a parcel of land for just $500. This parcel of land is where Mike’s seafood, celebrating its 100th anniversary, stands today.
Mike Monichetti Jr. started working in the family business — seafood — at age 8 when his own parents ran Mike’s Seafood. His first job was to spread and stack newspapers that were used to wrap the fish, according to Mike, who’s never worked any other job outside of his family’s fish market.
His father, Mike Monichetti Sr. was a commercial fisherman, who, along with his uncle John, funded the building of a 56-foot fishing boat named “Dewey” in honor of their father.
In 1989, Mike reached a crossroads. When his father died, he had to choose between following in his footsteps and fishing, or running the business side of the seafood market. Around this same time, fishing regulations were starting to become more stringent, which helped make Mike Jr.’s decision a bit easier.
Mike’s mother Mary quite possibly has had the biggest influence on his life. After marrying Mike Sr., Mary left her own family’s fish market (located just two blocks away) and began working at Mike’s.
“I spent most of my time working in the seafood market, learning the business of marketing and selling seafood from my mother,” said Mike.
Now 53, Mike is grateful for the series of events that has led him to where he is today.
“It’s a tradition and a lifestyle,” he said. “I love the work; I love selling seafood.”