The True Story Behind the Name Turk’s Seafood

A Waterfront Legacy That Started in the 1950s

The story of Turk’s Seafood in Mattapoisett begins long before the restaurant opened its doors. The original “Turk” was Richard Pasquill, Sr., a Fairhaven native who started working on the New Bedford waterfront in the late 1950s. He built a reputation unloading fishing boats through the ‘60s and ‘70s, forming friendships with many of the fishermen and boat owners who would later define New Bedford’s fishing industry.

Those early connections became the foundation for Turk’s Seafood, which Pasquill  opened on Route 6 in Mattapoisett as a small fish market in 1983.

A Nickname Born on the Football Field

So where did the “Turk” come from? Before he was known for seafood, Pasquill was a big, brawny high school-turned-semi-pro football player. In the 1950s, semi-pro games at Fairhaven's stadium would draw thousands every Sunday after church. Pasquill earned the nickname “Turk” on the field as a badge of toughness and respect that followed him long after his playing days.

That same rugged, hard nosed spirit carried over to the docks. “If anybody said ‘Turk’ on the waterfront, everyone knew exactly who you meant,” said his son, Richard Pasquill, Jr.

"He built so many great relationships down at the waterfront. The greatest thing about the relationships he built is that they're still alive today," his son said. Turk literally and figuratively laid the foundation upon which Turk's was built.

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From the Docks to a SouthCoast Legend

In 1989, the current Turk's building was constructed and the business moved to where it stands today, slowly growing from that small fish market into the beloved restaurant and sushi bar we now love. It is still grounded in the relationships the elder Pasquill built more than 60 years ago, which is how Turk's is able to get such fresh fish at the auction.

What would Turk think of the modern day Turk's Seafood that was taken to the next level by his wife, Judy, and son after his passing in 1992?

"He would be amazed," Richard, Jr. said. "My mother was by my side with every decision I'd make. She was there to give me the confidence to just keep going."