Chefs Collaborative

How does the MyGulfWild work?

Gulf Wild™ is a  program of the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance, a 501c(6) trade association that represents fishermen and associated dealers who provide consumers year-round access to high-quality, responsibly-caught seafood. Our mission is to unify and strengthen the reef fish industry to develop a sustainable resource through the use of individual fishing quotas (IFQ’s) — also known as catch shares. Alliance members agree to specific measures called Conservation Covenants that focus on the reducing by-catch, protecting the marine environment, and improving safety. These covenants enhance the economic value of the fishery and reward responsible fishing practices.

The key to Gulf Wild™ is a fish tracking component that allows the buyer to “find my fish.” Each Gulf Wild™ fish is marked with a sequentially numbered gill tag just minutes after it is brought on board. When the catch reaches shore, the tag number is electronically recorded with the unique credentials of its fish. That data is displayed via myGulfWild.com, a website where wholesalers, retailers, and consumers can enter their unique tag number see where their fish was caught on an interactive map and even learn information about the vessel and captain.

What are the benefits of the gill tag and tracking process for the consumer? What about for the fishermen?

Americans are increasingly curious (if not concerned) about where and by whom their seafood is caught. Recent media stories have exposed fraudulent labeling schemes and, of course, questions persist about the effects of last year’s Deepwater Horizon explosion. It was the right time to launch a brand with transparent systems to track individual fish to its actual harvesting vessel and catch locations. If any system could remove doubt surrounding Gulf seafood, Gulf Wild™ seems to be it!

Our trackable Gulf Wild™ tags act as a seal of sustainability and provide guardianship of our brand. Because tags follow our fish from boat to buyer, we’re ensuring profitability throughout the distribution chain in new ways. We are positioning ourselves to open new markets as the fishery populations rebound.  All across the United States, communities are strengthening their connections to “local food” and “local farming”. Because the fish are tagged and can be linked back to individual fishermen, they have a strong incentive to ensure quality product, which will lead to profitability and differentiation in the marketplace.

Where did this idea stem from/how did this idea come about?

This concept has been in the minds and works of Alliance fishermen for quite a while. To keep fishing communities in the Gulf of Mexico viable following the Deepwater Horizon explosion last year, proactive fishermen in the region put into action the sophisticated program to safely inspect fish harvests, stabilize or sustain the resource with advanced conservation practices, and provide a transparent view of each fish’s original harvest location, vessel and fisherman. The program, called Gulf Wild™, is first and foremost a consumer confidence initiative forged to promote safely-inspected, genuine and sustainably harvested fish from the Gulf of Mexico.

How does this support sustainable fisheries?

Gulf Wild™ is a conservation-focused program that contributes — in several ways — to the long-term health and abundance of its namesake iconic fishery. First, all Gulf Wild™ fishermen participate in a catch-share program, a resource management approach that gives fishermen incentive to catch fish responsibly.

Nearly two decades of research shows that catch share programs reduce the likelihood of fishery depletion, increase participants’ compliance with catch limits, reduce by-catch (unintentionally harvested fish), and help reduce high-grading (tossing of low value fish) and discards (of dead or dying unwanted fish). Additionally, Gulf Wild™ fishermen agree to a strict set of resource-oriented “Conservation Covenants” that extend far beyond federal requirements, standards that elevate our brand above others.

What sort of contribution are you hoping to make towards a more sustainable community?

We seek to highlight the advances in management that are already fostering the rebuilding and maintenance of healthy fish populations, and we commit to provide “above and beyond” leadership on stewardship issues in the Gulf. Our Conservation Covenants reflect the additional, voluntary steps that the fishermen and vessel owners participating in the Gulf Wild campaign are willing to take in pursuit of that accountability and sustainable harvest.

How often do you work with chefs/restaurants?

Advising the Gulf Wild™ program is a seven-member national Advisory Board. This Board includes leaders from the culinary, conservation, and retail environments that serve seafood consumers at large, including Chef Rick Moonen, Executive Chef of RM Seafood in Las Vegas Nevada and sustainable seafood advocate, Geoff Luebkemann, Vice President for Education & Training for Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association, Tallahassee, FL and Karl D. Turner President/Founder A La Carte Specialty Foods, New Orleans, LA.

We are tapping into this expertise to help guide our chef and restaurant partners who are eager to promote the Gulf Wild™ brand.  We work with restaurants from Florida to Texas, high end to high volume, and provide the marketing solutions required to bring industry success.  We bring you the fish, you make it fabulous!

Do you have plans to expand the types of fish being tracked by MyGulfWild?

We plan to bring all the Gulf reef fish into this management practice. It is essential to integrate all reef fisheries into better fishery management plans, to make new conservation-based management complementary with the established commercial fishery management, and to develop some concepts that can serve as models for improved management not only in the Gulf but in other public consumption fisheries worldwide.  These remaining reef fish will then be wrapped into the Gulf Wild™ program.

Do you have plans to expand to a greater community of fishermen?

We want to tailor and expand our concept to include conservation-minded fishermen across the Gulf of Mexico, helping to differentiate their product, stabilize the wild-caught seafood market in the region, and preserve coastal jobs related to the fishing industry region-wide, and potentially worldwide.

Why did the organization become a member of Chefs Collaborative?

Part of the Alliance initiative and the Gulf Wild™ program is to partner with like-minded conservation advocates. We want to build a network of strong partners who are educating chefs, retailers, restaurants and consumers to the benefits of sustainably harvested catches to ensure the health of our fisheries.  Education and partnership are keys to the successes of both Chefs Collaborative and Gulf Wild™.

Is there anything you want our members and friends to know about the organization?

Gulf Wild™ fishermen are visionary members of the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance, one of the most advanced and conservation-minded groups of fishermen in the world. They sought a unique manner of business that would sustain a healthy fishery, and provide year-round consumer access to authentic and safety-inspected seafood. The members have agreed to wholly support this program across the entire Gulf of Mexico, from the western tip of Florida to the southernmost port in Texas.  After the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster in the Gulf, our fishermen felt compelled to ensure consumer confidence in Gulf of Mexico seafood.  With no financial assistance from BP, we have produced the only trackable, safety inspected, conservation based and identifiable brand of seafood from the Gulf of Mexico.

Please support our efforts, become a member at www.shareholdersalliance.org, friend us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and tell people about Gulf Wild, mygulfwild.com. Best yet, ask your seafood retailer or dealer to place an order for Gulf Wild™ brand seafood.

When I was a kid my grandfather saw it fitting to give my little brother and me a subscription to National Geographic as a Christmas present every year. The anticipation of pulling off the plastic sheathing to get at the contents hidden beneath the iconic yellow cover was a once a month event that became as ritualistic as anything can be in a child’s life, especially after my grandfather’s death.

These days my magazine subscriptions run less in the vein of science and exploration and more in-line with my profession; Gastronomica, the Art of Eating, Edible Boston, Saveur; but National Geographic still finds its way into the mix. This month a funny thing happened. Nestled between an article on the Middle East and one on Portugal’s only National Park was an article titled “Food Ark: Preserving heirloom seeds and breeds is crucial if we are to feed our hungry world.” National Geographic, my only non-profession-related reading suddenly became immensely relevant.

The article opens:

A crisis is looming: to feed our growing population, we’ll need to double food production. Yet crop yields aren’t increasing fast enough, and climate change and new diseases threaten the limited varieties we’ve come to depend on for food. Luckily we still have the seeds and breeds to ensure our future food supply –but we must take steps to save them.

After giving a  nod to the Seed Savers Exchange, author Charles Siebert shrewdly notes, “Most of us in the well-fed world give little thought to where our food comes from or how it’s grown.” The fact is, as the article points out, that “in the United States an estimated 90 percent of our historic fruit and vegetables varieties have vanished.” And in the world at large, we’ve lost more than 50 percent of food varieties in the last century alone.

Siebert quotes Rick Ward of Cornell as saying “a significant humanitarian crisis is inevitable.” He’s talking about wheat production, more specifically the strain of stem rust known as Ug99 “a virulent and fast mutating strain” that at least 90 percent of the world’s wheat is defenseless against. But the fact of the matter is that “the world has become increasingly dependent upon technology-driven, one-size-fits-all solutions to its problems.” Ug99 is certainly becoming more the rule than the exception, points out Seibert.  “The best hope for securing food’s future may depend on our ability to preserve the locally cultivated foods of the past,” he writes.

And herein lies the real heart of the issue. While the article goes on to point out the benefits of heritage breeds and heirlooms seeds, touches on the green revolution, on seed banks, and on the success of local varieties of seeds in Ethiopia, the most important point is that food security depends on biodiversity and localized solutions. Too often advocates for local sourcing and local knowledge are dismissed as luddites or elitist “foodies.”

But unlike my nostalgia  for National Geographic because of its ties to my grandfather, embracing heirloom vegetables and heritage breeds isn’t a way to look back. It’s a way to look forward. A way to recognize the inherent knowledge of agriculture and taste cultivated by years of technical sharing and know how among communities is a way to strengthen our food systems and our world.

—Rob Booz, network coordinator

I’ve never been much of a fast food eater (although I will guiltily admit to indulging on road trips) however I was intrigued when I began seeing articles about big name chains such as McDonald’s and Chipotle using sustainable and local products. Are these companies using the term “sustainable” and “local” as a marketing tool? Are they hoping to reach a broader market by introducing these changes? Or are they genuinely concerned with local businesses and preserving our natural resources? So many questions.

While Chipotle offers “fresher” ingredients and “healthier” options than most fast food joints, it is still considered a fast food restaurant. Chipotle was ahead of the crowd and began using locally sourced, organically grown produce in 2008 and vowed to increase their usage every year. Recently, the company announced that it plans to more than double that usage this year, increasing its national supply by at least ten million pounds. In many of its California locations where the growing season is almost year round, Chipotle uses local produce including avocados, peppers, cilantro and lemons and limes, as often as they can. With 1, 100 locations (albeit a laughable number compared to most chains), Chipotle should be able to source locally (defined by less than 350 miles from a restaurant location) a fair amount if they keep their “vow;” this is great news for Chipotle fans and fast food loving, health minded locavores alike. While a visit to Chipotle isn’t quite a home cooked meal with your CSA delivery, it appears that this is in fact, a step towards a more sustainable chain restaurant.

As Marion Nestle said, “a better-for-you processed food is not necessarily a good choice,” but it is a better choice, and not just for those consuming the product. Do you think these changes will have an impact on these chain’s local environment or our environment as a whole? Do you think this will change the way you look at fast food? Whether these changes are a marketing ploy or a genuine effort to convert to a more sustainable business model, it encourages a more sustainable way of thinking in a widespread population and will hopefully encourage other chains to follow suit.

Mallory Cushman is the Development and Communications Intern at Chefs Collaborative.

We’ve talked a lot about sustainable meat, fish, and veggies.  We’ve talked about sourcing and distribution issues, as well as cost, nutrition and (of course) taste.  But there’s something on the dining room table that we haven’t talked much about: DRINKS!  Who doesn’t enjoy a good glass of Pinot Noir with their salmon, a spicy Syrah with their roasted lamb, a juicy Zin with their Barbecque or even a beer with some mussels? A little after dinner drink? How about a good Bourbon?

One little detail that seems to go under the radar: all those grapes, grains, hops, and corn are grown somewhere… on a farm or in a vineyard.  Then they have to be processed in some way shape or form before can become the beautiful beverages we love so well.  So shouldn’t those growing practices matter, too?  Shouldn’t we be talking about pesticides, and herbicides and runoff water for the other part of the meal, the beverage?

I know that some of you have focused on sustainable wine lists and probably carry some organic beers or spirits.  And I know that there are some common misconceptions out there: organic wines taste bad, the good ones are expensive, my customers don’t care, where can I get a hold of them anyway….  But we’ve heard all of this with food.  And we know that where there’s a will there’s a way.

I’d like to start this conversation about sustainable beverages with a call for input.  What are you doing in your restaurants to promote sustainable beverages?  Any best practices you look for?  Let me know at katied@chefscollaborative.org.

Katie is the National Summit intern for the Chefs Collaborative.

It’s a good thing New Englanders have an innate tolerance for gloomy weather, or else the Let’s Talk About Food Festival might have been a wash out. Sure, the morning rains made some folks think twice about a stroll down Cambridge Parkway; but it would’ve taken a Nor’easter to dampen a conversation like this.

At 8:30 a.m., more than 50 exhibitor booths were lined up along the Charles River in Boston, waiting to be adorned by “foodies, experts, and others” with information on everything from gardening to nutrition. I was pleasantly surprised to find the Chefs Collaborative table face-to-face with the event’s food trucks—talk about convenient. Resisting all urges to make a few pit stops, I passed by Go Fish and The Froyo Truck with newfound self-control.

Joining us on the roster of exhibitors (to name a few) were Robin Cohen of Doves and Figs, who spoke about food preservation tips and techniques, Community Servings, a non-profit food and nutrition program serving individuals and families living with critical and chronic illnesses, and locally-based sustainable chocolate producer Taza Chocolate. Hey, if that isn’t feel-good eats, I’m just not sure what is.

Executive Director Melissa Kogut with Chefs Jodi Adams and Todd Haberlein

With our booth creatively weather-proofed using plenty of tape and a couple DIY pebble paperweights, our Chefs Collaborative team opened up the Ask a Chef table for business—err, asking!

We started with Carla and Christine Pallotta, the chef-owners of Nebo in Boston’s North End. Though the morning traffic had yet to materialize, the Pallotta duo came ready to talk—and talk we did! Luckily for us, a slow start meant that they didn’t mind answering a few dozen questions from an overly caffeinated intern.

Chefs Charles Draghi, German Lam and Brad Stevens

Next up were Chefs German Lam of Glam Foods and Chef Brad Stevens of Community Servings. Chef Lam’s enthusiasm for “free style” cooking was infectious, and his metaphor of cooking to sports was well received by the local crowd. Chef Stevens, who was just as eager to engage in the public dialogue, answered a range of questions from “What are essential spices to stock in a tiny kitchen?” to “How do I make chickpea flour a success?” Not to be missed were Chefs JJ Gonson, Michael Leviton, Dante DiGamistris, Todd Haberlein, Tony Bennencourt, Ranveer Dar, David Stein and Jodi Adams, who popped by our table to join in on the discussion.

If one thing is certain, it’s that there was no shortage of information. Attendees could hop from Ask a Chef to Ask an Author, listen in on a discussion at the Endless Tables, and finish their day with a visit to the Edible Garden. Simply put, an event like Let’s Talk About Food is exactly what we need in today’s food landscape. We were thrilled to meet so many people who are exploring their interest in food and sustainability and are continuously encouraged by your curiosity to learn about our mission.

So, let’s continue the conversation! I’ll ask the first question: What inspires you to start talking?

I tried my first lobster at the tender age of four. To my parents’ chagrin, it was love at first chewy, buttery bite. From then on, lobster became a tradition at every birthday, and was often more important than the cake.

What does that say about me? Well for one, that I’ve been hooked on lobster for about 17 years. You might also guess that I grew up around here, on Boston’s North Shore. My family and I have been lucky enough to live just steps away from the ocean, which means that fresh seafood is as standard as our toasted buns (with our lobster rolls, that is). It’s probably best to note that despite temptation, I still don’t call it “lobstah.”

That childhood experience should also tell you that I’ve been a life-long fan of food. And while I realize that most people would fall under the “fan of food” category, I simply can’t remember a time when it didn’t play a significant role in my life.

My interest kicked off after I discovered the Food Network (boy, do I wish it was the other way around!) and before I knew it, I was hooked. After spending a semester in Paris this past year, it was obvious that food was my calling. I was amazed at the crates of fresh produce that my skinny host mom lugged back from French markets for her family of nine, plus two foreign adoptees. She’d press fresh grape juice that was naturally sweeter than any juice you’ll find in a bottle, and the smell of her homemade bread would wake me from the deepest slumber. One of the best memories of my stay in Europe was on a visit to a Tuscan villa, where I had pesto that was SO unbelievably good, I naively asked if they sold it by the jar… how American.

When I returned home, the enormity of our supermarkets and vacuum-sealed orange cheeses felt so disconnected to me. Needless to say, I missed the friendly faces at my “fromagerie.”

Now a senior in college (yikes, already!?), I’m studying French and Broadcast Media Arts at Elon University in North Carolina. I strive to make informed choices when buying food and enjoy making frequent trips to local markets and co-ops. Those efforts to continue my appreciation for foods’ origins have taken me on a crazy culinary adventure: veganism. And although that meant passing on the lobster tradition this year, I’ve learned so much about respecting our food and our community. Rather than seeing what I “can’t” eat, I’m paying attention to the quality of what I do eat. I’m passionate about understanding where my food comes from, and hope to inspire that curiosity in others.

That’s why I couldn’t be more thrilled to share that passion with Chefs Collaborative. As their new Digital Media Intern, I expect that my hunger to explore (and downright hunger to eat) will lead me to new adventures in sustainability and a greater gastronomic understanding. With a video camera in hand, I hope to bring you along with me!