Restaurant & Oyster Community Pays Tribute To Renowned Louisiana Seafood Advocate

NEW ORLEANS — Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board (LSPMB) has announced the creation of a special, statewide tribute in memory of Mike Voisin , former owner and CEO of Motivatit Seafoods — one of the country's largest and Louisiana's oldest oyster processing companies — to honor his contributions to Louisiana's seafood and restaurant community.

Restaurants are asked to develop their recipe version of "Oysters Voisin" incorporating Louisiana oysters, spinach, and bread to be featured on their menus.  Each participating restaurant will also be featured on LouisianaSeafood.com.

Noted and widely sought for his expertise regarding national issues challenging the seafood industry in Louisiana and the Gulf Coast — such as natural disasters, the 2010 BP Oil Spill, immigration issues, and managing and sustaining seafood and wildlife resources — Voisin was dedicated to protecting and promoting one of the nation's foremost domestic products, seafood.

"Mike was a devoted, eloquent champion for all of us in the seafood community; this tribute is one way we can honor his memory, leadership, and the inspired, positive and lasting impact he has made for the Louisiana Seafood community," said Ewell Smith , LSPMB Executive Director.

Voisin, a Houma, Louisiana resident and 7th-generation Louisiana oysterman, helped found the LSPMB in 1984.  His leadership spanning 40 years included the National Seafood Marketing Council, National Fisheries Institute, the Gulf Coast Seafood Marketing Coalition, the Gulf and South Atlantic Fisheries Foundation, the Louisiana Fishing Community Recovery Coalition, and the Louisiana Oyster Task Force.

"Mike was such a family man and so passionate about seafood, he would have appreciated the simplicity of this dish so that any restaurant and anyone at home could prepare it with ease," said Tommy Cvitanovich , Co-owner and Manager of Drago's Seafood Restaurants.  "And if anyone deserved to have their name on my menu — especially as part of an oyster dish — it's Mike."

"It's so nice to see and hear so much appreciation for Mike's contributions," said Voisin's wife of 38 years, Sarah Voisin .  "What Mike gave was given out of love and passion for our seafood industry. What a beautiful legacy Mike left for me, his children, the seafood industry and Louisiana."

For more information and to submit a recipe, restaurants may contact Ashley Roth, Ashley@LouisianaSeafood.com.

LSPMB was created in 1984 by the state of Louisiana to support their vast historical commercial fisheries industry.  The Board is composed of 15 members and each member represents a sector of the industry: harvesters, processors, wholesalers, restaurateurs/retailers, fisheries resource managers, public health officers and marketing specialists.

Source: Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board (LSPMB)