The first attempt to reach Tim Ferleman in late March came at a bad time. The season’s first halibut had just come in and that, naturally, trumps any interview. Well, that and the feds. “First halibut of the season and the [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] shows up so I had to deal with them too,” says Ferleman, who’s not lacking any confidence in his Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point program. “HACCP inspectors can show up at any moment, there’s no notice.”
A day later, things were much calmer and we were able to simply talk about fish. And Ferleman, 50, who’s been at Anthony’s since he was a teenager — he’s done everything from washing dishes and bussing tables to running the seafood-procurement operations that supply a busy, upscale 24-restaurant chain — knows what he’s talking about. He’s also proud of his veteran crew. “We’ve all been in it forever, literally, since we were kids,” he says. “[We have] a good understanding of the business and what good seafood should look like.”
WRIGHT: How long have you been working for Anthony’s?
FERLEMAN: Thirty-four years. The only thing I haven’t done is tended bar. And 23 years on the seafood side. I knew what the real needs in the kitchen were. I’m hands-on. I fillet fish, pick up, deliver, pack. I look at every piece of fish that comes through.
Click here to read the rest of interview with Ferleman, which was written by SeaFood Business Associate Editor James Wright and appeared in the magazine’s June issue.
