For the fifth year in a row, Sea Watch International’s Creative Clam Challenge will likely attract a sizeable crowd at the International Boston Seafood Show.
The culinary competition rises in popularity year after year. Last year, 800 attendees on the show floor sampled the clam recipes of the contest’s two finalists in just two hours, compared to only 300 attendees when the contest debuted in 2008.
That’s helped draw interest to a company and a product at a time when the U.S. economy is struggling to grow and Americans aren’t eating out as frequently.
“We’ve had the same struggles as everyone else with the economy being down, trips to restaurants being down and restaurants closing over the past three years,” said Guy Simmons, Sea Watch’s VP of marketing. “[The contest] draws attention to the company and expands everybody’s awareness of how versatile clams are.”
Promoting clams’ versatility is a key component of the contest. “You can make anything you want but you can’t make a chowder or linguine in clam sauce because those are the two things most known for the use of clams,” said Simmons. “We want the students to think outside the box.”
This year’s contest drew 25 respondents from 12 culinary institutions, up from nine culinary institutions in 2011. The finalists, who will prepare their recipes on 11 March at Sea Watch booth No. 423, are Jesse Roberts and Hristine Misafris. Roberts of Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island was selected for his Clam Butternut Squash Spring Rolls with a Spicy Lime Ginger Dipping Sauce, while Misafris of the Culinary Institute of America was chosen for her Clam Crepes with a Sherry Cream Sauce. The winner will receive USD 2,500 and the runner-up will get USD 1,000.
In addition to rewarding an up-and-coming chef and highlighting clams’ versatility, holding a competition such as the Creative Clam Challenge provides Sea Watch with an opportunity to talk about health of the U.S. East Coast clam resource.
“We’re fortunate to have a very strong natural resource, a very strong biomass on the floor of the ocean and relatively low environmental impact,” said Simmons. “We’re in pretty good shape.”
Based in Easton, Md., and founded in 1978, Sea Watch is the nation’s largest supplier of branded canned and frozen clams, both surf clams and quahogs. It’s also the biggest independently owned and vertically integrated clam company.
