1 March, 2026

Father and daughter duo offer taste of local delicacy

Taste of ‘bait… Jasmine McDermott and Ross Tanner at their fritter stand

Ross Tanner is serving up a secret taste of Devonport.
Harking back to the days when he was a lad, whitebait caught from the wharf is on his menu.
Tanner and daughter Jasmine McDermott have a pop-up stand selling fritters and frozen whitebait.
Interest has been high in the couple of weeks that they have been setting up a barbecue outside the former Lake Rd service station opposite the golf course on Thursday and Friday afternoons from 2-6pm.
Photographs on the stand of lines of fishermen on the wharf in the 1970s are talking points for customers.
Some, like Tanner, remember those abundant days from their youth and others are amazed to learn there is such a thing as local sea-caught whitebait.
“The way the world is going, it might not last,” Tanner notes.
But he swears sea-caught whitebait tastes best and enjoys supplying small packets so customers can try it out.
He remembers when old-timers would fill buckets when a good run was netted.
Over his years installing and servicing lifts in central Auckland buildings, including the SkyTower, he kept up his fishing hobby. He later sold his whitebait fritters through markets.
The fitters are made from supplies of frozen whitebait. He is not sure how long the stand will remain, but says word of mouth has helped business.
A satisfied customer who lives up the road at William Sanders Retirement Village spread the word, leading to a run of Ryman residents sampling the fritters.