The Gino's Story

As a kid growing up in Eureka, California, Gino Freson loved being on the docks and watching the commercial boats deliver their fish and shellfish to the local processing plants.  He knew at an early age that he wanted to be involved in the seafood business.

After serving in the Merchant Marine during the Korean conflict, he returned to Eureka and married his wife Maxine. He worked in the seafood processing industry in both Eureka and Astoria, Oregon before moving to Newport in 1975.

He and Maxine opened Gino’s Fish Market and Deli on the Newport waterfront on April 23, 1983.  It was a family operation from day one, with each of their four daughters helping out in the business.

Serving fish and chips and popcorn shrimp in their famous batter recipe, Gino’s became an instant seafood focal point on the waterfront.  During the 24 years they were in business they attracted a clientele from across the country.  Gino often said that the secret to insuring repeat customers was to offer them the very best in fresh seafood, which he did.

Maxine sold the restaurant in 2007, four years after Gino passed away.  The restaurant closed six months for the sale, leaving a lot of disappointed customers and huge void in the community.

We felt if was important to keep the Gino’s name when we began remodeling the facility in early 2010.  We also worked closely with Maxine to insure that we correctly re-created the special batter recipe for popcorn shrimp and fish and chips.

Maxine still lives in Newport, spends a lot of time with her children and eight grandchildren and periodically stops by OceanBleu at Gino’s to eat with family and friends.

We are proud to be carrying on the tradition of seafood excellence that they started in 1983.