5) The Great American Seafood Cook-Off, held annually in New Orleans, took on a new meaning this year when an unprecedented oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico threatened consumer perception of Gulf seafood. In early August, Dean James Max, executive chef of 3030 Ocean Restaurant in the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and president of DJM Culinary, talked to SeafoodSource Contributing Editor Christine Blank about the importance of this year’s cook-off and the oil spill’s impact on Gulf seafood supplies and restaurant traffic. Then, a few days later, Max beat out chefs from 15 other states to be crowned King of American Seafood with his Sebastian Inlet Clams BBLT (bacon, basil, lettuce and tomato).
4) Connétable, in business for more than 150 years, knows a thing or two about canned fish. Part of the French firm’s success has been staying ahead of the latest trends, including sustainability. Pascale Etrillard, Connétable’s director of marketing, talked to SeafoodSource Contributing Editor Lindsey Partos about the company’s involvement in the Marine Stewardship Council program and its range of MSC-certified products, including longfin tuna (tunny), salmon and mackerel.
3) When the global recession struck in late 2008, U.S. restaurant traffic took a big hit. And that didn’t bode well for seafood, around two-thirds of which is consumed away from home in the United States. In a two-part interview with SeafoodSource Editor Steven Hedlund, Keith Decker, president and COO of High Liner Foods USA in Danvers, Mass., talked about the recession’s effect on seafood sales at the both the foodservice and retail levels, the importance of product innovation and the company’s sustainability initiatives. Click here for part one of the interview and here for part two.
2) Consumer awareness of sustainable seafood is growing. But just how much do consumers know about sustainability, a complex concept that seafood professionals are still working to grasp? Dr. Cathy Roheim, a professor in the University of Rhode Island’s Department of Environmental and Natural Resource Economics and director of the URI Sustainable Seafood Initiative, shared some of her sustainable-seafood research with SeafoodSource Contributing Editor Chris Loew. Roheim has studied seafood marketing and trade for nearly 20 years and is well known for her research in consumer demand for eco-labeled seafood. Click here for part one of the interview and here for part two.
1) As director of sustainability at one of the United Kingdom’s fastest-growing private companies, Laky Zervudachi is constantly taking the pulse of chefs and caterers and encouraging greater understanding of the importance of responsible seafood sourcing. SeafoodSource Contributing Editor Jason Holland caught up with the Seafood Holdings executive to talk about everything from understanding sustainability to the “Food Vision” set by the London 2012 Olympic Committee. Click here for part one of the interview and here for part two.
