Over 25 years ago, a decision to try a piece of whitefish led Michael DellaGrotta to the career he never knew he’d have.
DellaGrotta, the president of Della Mar, has imported Patagonian toothfish – known in the U.S. more commonly as Chilean sea bass – since the 1990s. Up until an encounter at Seafood Expo North America, however, he barely knew what the species was.
“I’ll never forget, they came to the seafood show, and they wanted me to buy this whitefish; they said they had two or three containers,” DellaGrotta told SeafoodSource.
At the time, DellaGrotta was at the show with Kendell Seafood – a name derived from combining the company name DB Kenney Fisheries and DellaGrotta’s last name. DellaGrotta said at the time, he was selling scallops from Canada with DB Kenney as a partner.
The people in question trying to sell the whitefish were selling Patagonian toothfish, and after some consternation, DellaGrotta decided to give the species a shot.
“I’ll never forget, one of the gentlemen who ran one of the boats at the time, I went and knocked on his hotel room door at 7 in the morning, and I said, ‘I can do it; I want to buy one container,’” DellaGrotta said. “By the end of the show, I knocked on his door said, ‘I need two more containers.’ I didn’t know if I would sell them yet, but I had an idea.”
DellaGrotta said that decision took on new context after he tried the fish himself.
“I took some home and cooked a sample in my kitchen by myself,” DellaGrotta said.
Eventually, he got distracted by his chocolate lab Coco and lost track of time – with the fish still in the oven.
“I said, ‘Oh no, this is way overcooked.’ Then, after I ate it, I said, ‘Wow, this is perfect – it’s the best fish I’ve ever eaten,’” DellaGrotta said.
Coco approved, too, after getting a piece.
“I’ll never forget Coco’s expression on her face when I handed her a piece of Chilean sea bass; after the way she ate it I knew it was special,” DellaGrotta said. “From that point on, I was sold.”
While DellaGrotta was sold, selling the species to everyone else was easier said than done. DellaGrotta said at the time, the species was still making inroads and wasn’t as universally known as it is today.
Its popularity only began to take off in the 1990s, and it wasn’t until 1994 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recognized the name Chilean sea bass as an alternative – and more appealing – name for Patagonian toothfish.
In the early days of DellaGrotta’s attempts, the popularity wasn’t quite there yet, he said.
“I did my best as a young businessman with a few children, trying to raise a family and bring a new species to my customer base who were buying scallops,” DellaGrotta said.
He kept at it on a hunch that ...
