TAMPA, FLORIDA – Marking its third year at Cooking for Solutions at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Gulf Seafood Marketing Coalition (Coalition) is continuing the legacy of sharing wild, delicious Gulf seafood while highlighting its unique flavors and versatility at the annual event, held this year May 16 through 18 in Monterey, Calif.
Each year, the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Cooking for Solutions event brings together celebrated chefs from across the country to highlight fine food and wine, while discovering ways to preserve the oceans.
Renowned chefs, including Chef Briana Sammut of Beach House Restaurant at Lovers Point in Pacific Grove, Calif.; former private chef to Oprah Chef Art Smith; Food Network Canada Star Chef John Ash; and Hawaii-based Kai Lanai Restaurant chef/owner and television personality Chef Sam Choy will be representing the Gulf of Mexico States by preparing fresh Gulf shrimp, provided by Cox’s Wholesale Seafood and Wood’s Fisheries. Both distributors’ shrimp are traceable via Gulf Seafood Trace, a program that allows consumers and retailers to discover their seafood’s story from boat to plate, ensuring that the species is sustainably managed.
Attendees can find Gulf shrimp at the Meet the Chefs reception on May 14, Sustainable Foods Institute 2014 Luncheon and Cooking for Solutions Gala on May 16, A Street Food Extravaganza on May 17, as well as DIY: Grilled Pizza with John Ash and DIY: Pupus and Poke with Sam Choy on May 18.
The Coalition’s continued support of Cooking for Solutions each year is rooted in the Gulf of Mexico’s commitment to maintaining a sustained ecosystem for generations to come. This year, among many sustainability practices already in place, the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission launched GulfFINFO, an all-inclusive website for everything consumers and chefs need to be confident that Gulf seafood is harvested from sustainable fisheries.
“With FINFO launching just earlier this year, this is an exciting time to be at Cooking for Solutions to share insight, information and appreciation about sustaining the wonderful resource of Gulf seafood for the future,” said Joanne McNeely Zaritsky, marketing director for the Gulf Seafood Marketing Coalition. “Both home and professional chefs already know and love Gulf seafood for its exceptional flavor and quality, and now FINFO offers a new resource to communicate the sustainability of Gulf seafood.”
FINFO is a compilation of the complex and potentially-confusing data from the Gulf of Mexico’s responsibly-managed fisheries, synthesized into easy-to-understand answers about the source of your seafood.
Gulf of Mexico fisheries and organizations are constantly researching and monitoring seafood stocks to remain a leader in sustainability practices. Many of the Gulf States have received exemplary scores and designation for their enforcement groups. Gulf Coast seafood has been an integral part of our culture for decades, and the seafood community is dedicated to responsible fishing for future generations.
For more information about the Gulf Seafood Marketing Coalition and its sustainable practices, please contact Joanne McNeely Zaritsky at joanne.zaritsky@gmail.com, 850-224-1129 or 813-286-8390 or visit www.eatgulfseafood.com and follow the Coalition on Facebook at Gulf Coast Seafood and Twitter at @eatgulfseafood.
About Gulf Seafood Marketing Coalition
The Coalition provides a framework for the seafood community to coordinate marketing efforts among the Gulf States with emphasis on working with tourism boards, restaurants, retailers and chefs. The Gulf & South Atlantic Fisheries Foundation, Inc. is coordinating the Gulf Seafood Marketing Coalition through funding provided by the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (NOAA Award #NA10NMF4770481). For more information, please visit www.eatgulfseafood.com and follow the Coalition on Facebook at Gulf Coast Seafood and Twitter at @eatgulfseafood.
About Gulf & South Atlantic Fisheries Foundation, Inc.
The Foundation is a private, regional nonprofit research organization with a general membership and Board of Trustees representing a wide spectrum of the commercial fishing industry throughout the southeast U.S. Through the Foundation, the commercial seafood and fishing industry can collectively identify industry needs, and address those needs through appropriate research and other activities. Representing the nine-state region from Virginia to Texas, the Foundation has sponsored more than 600 fisheries related research projects.
For more information, please visit www.gulfsouthfoundation.org
Source: Gulf Seafood Marketing Coalition
