Known by Name: Inside Ocean Odyssey Inland

Daniel knows most of his customers by name — and he means that literally. On Saturdays, when he's working the floor at Ocean Odyssey Inland, he'll welcome a newcomer at the counter while calling hello to the regulars filing in behind them, many of whom he's known for years.

Ocean Odyssey has been around since 2001, back when owner Patricia was selling wild-caught salmon at farmers markets. It's grown into a shop people drive across the city for, without losing the neighbourhood feel along the way. We talked with Daniel — the general manager and in-store chef, who smokes the fish himself — about good seafood, loyal customers, and why he calls fish "the OG fast food."

Visit Ocean Odyssey Inland
10019 167 St NW, Edmonton
oceanodysseyinland.ca
Seasonal catches and updates: @oceanodysseyyeg

A Chef Who Found His Way to Seafood

How did you end up at Ocean Odyssey?

I moved to Edmonton in October 2015 and was working at a restaurant that Patricia, Ocean Odyssey's owner, supplied seafood to. Her in-store chef had just left for the East Coast, and my chef, Steve, connected the two of us. I started as her in-store chef, making our convenience products — crab cakes, halibut burgers, soups, and chowders, all the things we sell ready to go. When that restaurant closed, Patricia asked me to come on full time. I did that for the first few years, and in 2019 I became the general manager.

Have you worked with seafood before?

This was my first foray into the specialty seafood world, but I grew up fishing freshwater in northern Ontario, so I've always loved fish and seafood — and the education side of it, too. It was just a good fit.

"The OG Fast Food"

What makes Ocean Odyssey different?

We're still family owned, for one. And we lead with a people-first approach. We guide customers through the entire journey — not just handing them a product, but sharing cooking techniques, tips, and following up with them afterward. We do a lot of preorders, setting things aside for people. We're also transparent: if something's farmed, we label it as such. We don't have to do that, but we do it for our customers. We want people to feel confident buying fish.

Seafood can be intimidating to cook, though.

It can. I call seafood the OG fast food — for the most part it cooks really quickly, which is both a blessing and a curse, because it goes much faster than chicken. You're spending money on a quality protein, so we want you to walk away able to make a really great dish. We see it as an investment.

What to Try

A go-to product customers should try?

A few years ago we introduced hot smoked fish, and it's one of my personal favourites. I've been smoking fish for years — I started with rainbow trout up in cottage country in Ontario. We cure it, salt it, candy it, and smoke it right here in the store. It's literally salt, sugar, thyme, and smoke, but the outcome feels so luxurious. It's a quick snack on its own, great on crackers as an appetizer, or tossed through pasta for a smoky kick. If you haven't tried it — or our candied salmon — that's the one I'd point you to.

Anything seasonal you're excited about?

A couple of years ago we partnered with a commercial fisherman named Guy Johnston, who runs a community-supported fishery. He's an independent troll fisherman — one hook, one fish — which is a rarity these days, and it's literally his family out there fishing. Every fall he brings us a small round of coho, pink, and rockfish. It's beautiful stuff, and it lands right around the holidays, so if you want really nice salmon for your table, that's what I'd reach for.

Known by Name

What do you love most about the role?

The community element, first and foremost. Some customers have shopped with us for 10 or 15 years, and I know a good deal of them by first name. We're not strictly a specialty grocery store — we're part of people's food routines and rituals, part of some of their most intimate moments: dinner parties, Christmases, and even last meals. Connecting customers to the products that end up on their tables is the best part of this job.

How would you describe the community here?

Really tight knit. We've watched customers' kids grow from tiny children into adults who still shop with us — it's that generational piece. Word of mouth is still such a huge part of our business. There are these great moments where customers run into each other in the store: "Oh, I didn't know you shopped here too." We're almost a hub that way, and I love it.

Deep Roots in the West End

What do you love about being part of this area?

Patricia's father opened one of the first electronics stores along Stony Plain Road — he was one of the first to bring colour TVs to West Edmonton. There's a real entrepreneurial spirit out here; business owners are committed to this area and to being part of a connected community. Ocean Odyssey has deep roots in the West End because Patricia followed suit and opened her own business here. Multiple generations opening businesses — it's kind of special.

What do you hope to see for Stony Plain Road down the road?

We're watching the LRT get built in real time, and it's a few short years from opening. That'll connect the rest of Edmonton to the West End and bring more residents — more people to connect with, and yes, more people to buy fish. With the LRT at ground level, we're hoping more storefronts pop up and the area becomes more walkable. The construction has been a challenge, not just here but along all the routes our customers travel, so we're excited for those projects to wrap and those avenues to open back up. I'm really looking forward to a thriving community with a mix of new and old businesses, and new and old residents alike.

More than 20 years in, Ocean Odyssey is still a place where the person behind the counter knows your name and probably remembers what you cooked last week. If you're never quite sure what to do with a piece of fish, that's kind of the point — ask, and they'll walk you through it. Stop by the West End shop, grab some hot smoked fish, and if it's fall, ask about the coho.