Fish Heads, Beloved Seafood Restaurant Told To Leave Atlantic City Location

We had the chance to briefly catch up with Gregory “Dredgie” Wood, last week.

Dredgie - as he is affectionately referred to by all who know him - has owned and operated a local establishment named Fish Heads for the past 25 years.

Fish Heads has been a local culinary staple since 1997, located within Gardner’s Basin, on North New Hampshire Avenue in Atlantic City, near The Atlantic City Aquarium.

Fish Heads is known for providing some of the most diverse and delicious seafood sandwiches and meals anywhere in Atlantic City.

Fish Heads is self-proclaimed as “Atlantic City’s Finest Sandwich.”

Some of the great menu selections items include:

• Grilled Sea Bass
• Grilled Red Snapper
• Grilled Crab Cake
• Grilled Scallops
• Mahi Tacos

Fish Heads has earned a 4.7 rating out of 5 Stars on Google.com, with at least 147 reviews, including this one from “Gail Carter,” who wrote last year that:

Shrimp and scallops were amazing and the sweet potato cheese cake is to die for - delicious!!!!!!!! Beautiful view and I also enjoyed the music and the outdoor bar and the great prices!! My kind of outdoor eating and drinking. definitely return and spread the word - you gotta try this place!!! Yummy, wrote Carter.

If things stay as they are right now, Fish Heads will be gone from the Gardner’s Basin scene. Dredgie has confirmed that he must leave his long-held site for good.

We have been advised that Dredgie and his “Fish Heads”  establishment is the last African-American business remaining in Gardener’s Basin.

Dredgie has been notified by the Atlantic City Marty Small administration that he must leave his long-held location in Gardner’s Basin.

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During my brief conversation with Dredgie, he was a gentleman and did not have a bad word to say about Marty Small, La’Quetta Small or the city.

It is his supreme hope that the current situation can still be turned around and that he will be able to remain in Gardner’s Basin for the upcoming season and for years to come.

As is so often the case in Atlantic City, bad politics appears to be at the root cause of this present situation.

Craig Callaway, John Devlin and several others have advised that Fish Head’s dictated departure from Gardner’s Basin is due to a negative encounter that allegedly occurred between Dredgie and La’Quetta Small last summer in Gardner’s Basin.

Callaway and Devlin claim that La’Quetta Small provoked the entire alleged encounter; which according to them, involves The Small’s relative, Kayan Frazier, who has been convicted of issues involving child endangerment.

Frazier previously pled guilty to one count of child
exploitation, involving sexual abuse and child pornography criminal charges of a child, identified in the official criminal record charges as “Minor Child 1."

There is a present lawsuit, filed by the mother of a child, who was sexually abused by The Small’s relative (Frazier).

Those being sued include:

• Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small, Sr.
• His wife, La'Quetta Small.
• The Atlantic City Board of Education.
• Former Superintendent Barry Caldwell.
• Former Atlantic City substitute teacher Kayan Frazier.

The use of the pseudonym “Minor Child 1” was designed
to protect the identity of the child.

Dredgie discussed this alleged incident with me off-the-record.

He is not willing to go on-the-record at this time, because it is his desire to continue to be able to operate Fish Heads and does not want any trouble whatsoever with The Small’s or anyone else.

SOURCES: Gregory “Dredgie” Wood, Craig Callaway & John Devlin.