When diners at Hungry Mother restaurant in Cambridge, Mass., order the “local catch en papillote,” they get a little something extra to go with the scup with mushrooms, leeks, potatoes and Tuscan kale in a beurre blanc sauce. What comes along with the entrée is a code that allows them to trace the origin of the fish to the date it was caught and the fisherman and vessel that landed it.
Barry Maiden, chef and proprietor of Hungry Mother, is participating in the Trace and Trust program that launched late last year. The program links fishermen, mostly from Rhode Island where it was conceived, with New England restaurateurs who want to offer customers a story behind the fish they are eating and have a guarantee for themselves that the fish is fresh and high quality.
Customers who entered the code printed on Hungry Mother’s menu in late September were directed to the Trace and Trust website, where they found that the scup was landed by Steve Arnold on Sept. 22 while fishing near Block Island. He sold the 85 pounds of fish from that catch to Hungry Mother and Tastings Wine Bar and Bistro in Foxboro, Mass.
The idea for Trace and Trust was born from a meeting of Rhode Island fishermen and restaurant owners working with Mike Clayton, founder of Trace and Trust and an industry consultant who also operates the Cap Log Group in San Diego.
“I did some work with smaller boat operators in New England,” says Clayton, “and I saw the trend toward traceability. But most of it was coming from the top down, for example large retailers wanting traceability, and that didn’t necessarily help day-boat fishermen out of South Boston.”
