Sustainable Seafood at the Best of the West Chowderfest
Seafood for the Future, a non-profit seafood advisory and promotion program, hosted a “Best of the West Chowderfest” on Saturday, March 9 at the Aquarium of the Pacific to celebrate one of the things we all love here at FCEC – sustainable seafood. The event featured local chefs preparing one-of-a-kind seafood chowders made from locally caught or sustainably raised seafood. During the event, FCEC asked Primal Alchemy’s Chef Paul Buchanan why events that highlight sustainable seafood are important to the community:
“Events like these bring awareness to what the local seafood situation is out there… and will prompt consumers to ask where their fish are coming from.”
Participants of the event, like Philip Isenberg who believes that “it’s important to protect fish so that we always have them,” had the opportunity to sample many unique varieties of seafood chowders prepared by knowledgeable chefs and was then able to vote for what he considered to be the “Best of the West Chowder.”
Below is a list of the best of the west chowder contenders and their sustainable seafood choices
- Chef Art Gonzales from Roe Restaurant highlighted sea urchin and California spot prawns.
- Chef Brian Hirsty of Bluewater Grill featured clawless California spiny lobster.
- Chef Curtis Mar of Parker’s Lighthouse utilized local rock lobster.
- Chef Pete Lehmar of Gladstone’s Long Beach selected farmed mussels.
- Chef Paul Buchanan of Primal Alchemy experimented with sablefish.
- Chef Robin Higa of Market Broiler opted for California Dungeness crab.
- Chef Michael Poompan from SIP Lounge went with the more unusual Kellet’s whelk.
To find out who won the Best of the West Chowderfest, view our photo slideshow below!