Top Chefs and Seafood Sustainability Experts Lured to Half Moon Bay for SOS Seafood Festival: Sustaining Our Seas

Half Moon Bay’s SOS Seafood Festival: Sustaining Our Seas will be a seafood celebration like none other. While patrons will enjoy feasting on innovative preparations of fresh, sustainable catch, they will also be invited to take a seat in the SOS Seafood for Thought Chefs Pavilion, where throughout the day top Bay Area seafood chefs and some of California’s most respected seafood sustainability experts will take the stage.

The chefs and speakers have been curated by the Google Food Team, led by Teaching Kitchen Program Manager Liv Wu, and the staff of award-winning Edible Silicon Valley magazine, led by Publisher and Editor Kerri Stenson.

Chefs from San Francisco and Sausalito to Half Moon Bay and Silicon Valley will put on a lively show with demonstrations of sublime yet simple recipes using fresh, sustainably harvested seafood. They will also discuss what sustainability means when it comes to shopping for seafood.

At 1:00pm, the Pavilion will host a who’s who of seafood sustainability—a diverse panel including scientists, activists, restaurateurs, fishermen and a retailer—for an enlightening conversation on ocean warming and its effects on the seafood chain; sustainability practices such as protecting endangered species, “whole-boat” fishing to support a diverse catch and reduce waste, and developing new seafood products that use all parts of the fish; efforts to maintain a thriving fishing community; and the role of the restaurant industry in helping to shape the future of local seafood.

Google Food’s Wu will engage in conversation with the chefs and serve as moderator for the panel. Known for her “Seafood by the Season” column when she was a staff writer for the San Francisco Chronicle (byline Olivia Wu), she is a longtime Coastside resident and advocate for sustainable seafood.

“This stellar group of experts is passionate and knowledgeable about seafood and sustainability,” says Wu. “Together they will tell the story of delicious, healthy food from the ocean that is seasonal and responsibly harvested, and how and why it is important to protect and sustain this fragile and wonderful resource, as well as the local economy and fisher-families who are part of the story.”

The SOS Seafood For Thought sustainability panel will include:

· Tim Sloane, executive director, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations

· Sheila Bowman, Seafood Watch manager of culinary and strategic initiatives, Monterey Bay Aquarium

· Cindy Walter, co-owner, Passionfish restaurant (Pacific Grove) and nationally recognized sustainable seafood advocate

· Kirk Lombard, owner, Sea Forager Seafood (Moss Beach), a sustainable seafood community-supported fishery & host of coastal fishing and foraging walking tours. Author of the upcoming The Sea Forager’s Guide to Northern California.

· Casson Trenor, marine resources activist; restaurateur, Tataki Sushi and Sake Bar, the world’s first sustainable sushi bar; author of Sustainable Sushi: A Guide to Saving the Oceans One Bite at a Time.

· John Chavez, meat and seafood manager, New Leaf Community Market, the first grocer to partner with FishWise, the seafood sustainability consultancy that launched color-coded labels identifying environmental sustainability of seafood.

“The SOS Seafood Festival is a great opportunity to spark a public discussion on threats to the ocean, our last wild food source.” says Tim Sloane of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations. “Any conversation on sustaining the oceans would not be complete without a discussion of sustaining the fishing families that are the irreplaceable link between wild food and consumers.”

The daughter of a fisherman, Cindy Walter is co-owner of Passionfish restaurant with her husband, chef Ted Walter. A driving force in the sustainable seafood movement in Monterey County, she will talk about her long journey as a seafood sustainability advocate, helping the Pacific Coast achieve its status of having the best fishery management in the world. “Our fisherman have worked together with conservationists, governments and scientists to take care of our fisheries and turn them into success stories of sustainability—keeping the harvest to a low 2-10% and refraining from harvesting until there are three generations of a fish in a particular fishery.”

“Princeton Harbor is a thriving hub where tightly monitored and largely sustainable fisheries are the norm and fishermen have multiple opportunities to promote and sell their catches,” says Kirk Lombard, AKA The Sea Forager. “Whether that be El Niño–run bonito caught by hook and line onboard a 16-foot skiff, troll-caught salmon caught off Bolinas, or sand dabs caught by Scottish seine, an environmentally friendly flatfish- harvesting method.”

Among the locally sourced seafood being used in the chefs’ demos will be petrale sole, herring, black cod, rock cod, sardines, squid mussels and clams (depending on availability). “These wonderful fruits of our Bay Area waters will be prepared using recipes and techniques influenced by cuisines from around the globe and infused with California creativity,” says Edible Silicon Valley’s Stenson. “The chefs will engage in fascinating conversation about what makes each of these seafoods a sustainable selection during this winter season.”

SOS Seafood For Thought Chefs Pavilion Schedule (times subject to change)

10:30am: Doug Bernstein, executive chef, and Kenny Belov, co-owner, Fish (Sausalito): Traditional Danish Smørrebrød (open-faced sandwich) with Local Pickled Herring on Firebrand Bakery Rye Bread

11:15am: Matthew Beaudin, executive chef, Monterey Bay Aquarium: Smoked Trout with a Fennel, Citrus, Micro-arugula Gremolata

12:00pm: Kevin Butler, chef and fisherman, and Alan Lovewell, founder, Real Good Fish (a community-supported fishery based in Monterey Bay): Smoked Carmel Canyon Black Cod Sushi Roll with Unagi Sauce

1:00pm: Seafood Sustainability Panel

2:15pm: Ted Walter, Passionfish (Pacific Grove): Grilled Herring with Housemade Kimchi

3:00pm: Jesse Cool, partner/executive chef, and Carlos Pinada, chef/partner, Flea Street Café (Menlo Park): Grilled Sardine on Potato Croquette with Frisée Salad

3:40pm: Yu Min Lin, The Sea by Alexander’s Steakhouse (Palo Alto): Roasted Petrale Sole with Bell Pepper Miso and Bonito Flakes

4:20pm: Lewis Rossman, executive chef, Sam’s Chowder House (Half Moon Bay): Sam’s Chowder House Cioppino

“With its focus on sustainability, SOS showcases how the shift toward environmentally responsible seafood is bringing us new tastes and flavors,” said the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Sheila Bowman. “The chefs at the festival work closely with our Seafood Watch program, and we hope people will discover a new favorite seafood they haven’t tried before.”

Organizers of the Half Moon Bay Crab Fest recast their 2016 event as the SOS Seafood Festival as a result of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s emergency ruling to delay the opening of the commercial crab season due to high levels of domoic acid and the uncertainty surrounding the season.

SOS is the international Morse code distress signal being highlighted in the event name to call attention to the current state of ocean life and our need to address and remedy it.

About SOS Seafood Festival: Sustaining Our Seas

SOS Seafood Festival: Sustaining Our Seas, Half Moon Bay, California

WHAT: SOS Seafood Festival: Sustaining Our Seas will be held Saturday, January 30 (rain or shine) from 10 am to 5 pm in the vast outdoor lots surrounding Half Moon Bay Brewing Company overlooking picturesque Pillar Point Harbor Harbor in Princeton-By-The-Sea, the historic and funky fishing hamlet 4 miles north of Half Moon Bay. The headliner SOS Seafood For Thought Chefs’ Pavilion will include celebrity chefs’ demos, an expert panel discussion on ocean warming and sustainability, the seafood chain, and the role of the restaurant industry and food-serving community in helping to shape the future of local seafood. Chefs and speakers have been curated by the Google Food Team led by Teaching Kitchen Program Manager Liv Wu and award-winning Edible Silicon Valley Magazine led by Publisher and Editor Kerri Stenson. The festival includes food trucks and booths from the fantastic Google Food team, Off The Grid, Sam’s Chowder House, Seville Tapas and Ultimate Souvlaki serving fresh, sustainable seafood and other incredible edibles in SOS Food Truck City. Colorful SOS Beverage Bistros sprinkled throughout the event will feature a variety of local award-winning wines from Barterra Winery and Half Moon Bay Winery, world-class small batch craft beers from Half Moon Bay Brewing Company, South City Hard Cider and unique SOS specialty cocktails from Half Moon Bay Distillery. The SOS Mavericks Concert Stage, located amidst a magnificent grove of Monterey Cypress trees, will feature a stellar lineup of all-day headliner entertainment featuring The House Rockers, Mustache Harbor, Rumbache and The Lady Crooners. The SOS Cool Coastal Marketplace will offer ocean-inspired arts and crafts and ocean advocacy groups with exhibits and information on ocean preservation, marine life, fisheries and sustainability. The world-renowned Earth Circus will wow festivalgoers with a stunning repertoire of high-quality, artistic entertainment from the mesmerizing to the thrilling...amazing stilters, fascinating acrobats and jugglers, plus unique facepainting for kids. Across the street, in the “Field of Dreams” lot overlooking the harbor, is the free-admission Fin-Tastic Funzone with an array of awesome attractions for kids including a high-flying zip-line, super-thrilling bungee jump, wild and wacky waterballerz, challenging rock climbing wall, performers from the inimitable Sardine Family Circus plus plenty of family-friendly food, fun and games. Organizers of the Half Moon Bay Crab Fest recast their 2016 event as the SOS Seafood Festival as a result of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s emergency ruling to delay the opening of the commercial crab season due to high levels of domoic acid and all the uncertainty surrounding the season. SOS is the international Morse code distress signal being highlighted in our event name to call attention to the current state of ocean life and our need to address and remedy it. The primary charitable beneficiaries are Mavericks Coastside Foundation and the Cabrillo Education Foundation. The festival will take place rain or shine.

WHEN: Saturday, January 30, 2016; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (will be held rain or shine)

WHERE: Half Moon Bay Brewing Company, 390 Capistrano Rd., Half Moon Bay CA

INFO-LINE: 650-728-2739 X 207

WEBSITE: https://www.sosseafest.org/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/sosseafest/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/sosfesthmb

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/SOSfestHMB/

TICKETS ON EVENTBRITE: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sos-seafood-festival-sustaining-our-seas-tickets-19672768781