Philadelphia – The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) this week freshened up Philadelphia with a splash of Hawaii as it served responsibly raised seafood to the city’s choicest culinary connoisseurs.
On March 28, ASC joined James Beard nominated writer and Philadelphia-based Chef Kiki Aranita to dish up Blue Ocean Mariculture’s ASC-certified Hawaiian Kanpachi to over 450 guests at James Beard Foundation’s Taste America, located within the prestigious walls of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Taste America is the James Beard Foundation’s nationwide tour of changemaking culinary events spanning over 20 markets that include chef dinners and walk-around tastings spotlighting the breadth and unity of culinary creativity across the U.S., all with a mission of “Good Food for Good.”
For the Philadelphia gathering, Aranita created an inspired new dish – Poisson Cru with Hawaiian Kanpachi – in homage to her Hawaii roots, Tahitian influence and mission to celebrate underrepresented cuisines of multicultural origin. Together, ASC and Aranita engaged guests in a tasting experience highlighting the benefits of certified seafood, responsible aquaculture and the meaning behind ASC’s sea green label.
“By holding these intimate activities in local markets, we are able to share firsthand how responsible aquaculture is transforming the industry. When guests see and savor certified seafood for themselves, they build natural connections from the farm to their plates,” said Athena Davis, Marketing Manager, ASC North America. “Partnering with renowned local seafood advocates like Chef Kiki and Samuels and Son Seafood Co. helps us raise the bar to inform, educate and excite seafood lovers about the value of ASC certification and the importance of verifying where your seafood comes from. We are honored to deliver this message using Blue Ocean Mariculture’s premium Hawaiian Kanpachi straight from Kona’s ocean-blue coast.”
Taste America Philadelphia concluded ASC’s inaugural 2022-23 tour of restaurant events, pop-ups, retail collaborations and food festivals in Philadelphia, Minneapolis and Miami. The organization’s refreshed 2023 “Sea Green. Be Green.” tour will find even more themed events popping up in Portland, Ore., Southern California and Washington, D.C. The new activations kick off Tuesday, April 4, with a special Earth Month promotion in collaboration with Portland’s Bamboo Sushi restaurants.
About the Aquaculture Stewardship Council
Since 2010, ASC has been creating and enforcing the world’s strictest standards in the industry for:
- Protecting the environment, workers and communities.
- Ensuring supply chain integrity from the farm to the store.
- Providing the most comprehensive transparency through public disclosure.
ASC’s sea green label only appears on seafood from farms that have been independently assessed and certified as environmentally and socially responsible. ASC’s sea green certification label is the best way to ensure the seafood you’re buying is what it claims to be. For more information, visit us.asc-aqua.org/.
