WSCA EDUCATIONAL MEETING

Tide to Table, Farm to Food: The Merroir of Ocean-Farmed Seafood

At BATES TECHNICAL COLLEGE

October 7th, 2024

Event Info

Dive into the Merroir of Ocean-Farmed Seafood: Exclusive Culinary Showcase at Bates Technical College, Culinary Arts Program

We are excited to invite you to an exclusive culinary event at Bates Technical College, where we will be showcasing the finest ocean-farmed seafood in a spectacular culinary and educational presentation.

Event: Tide to Table, Farm to Food. The Merroir of Ocean-Farmed Seafood.

Guest Speaker: Mark Tagal, Senior Aquaculturist, IBSS Corp.

Industry Partners: WSCA, IBSS, Jamestown Seafood, Blue Ocean Mariculture, Port Madison Community Shellfish Farm, PSRF, and Ocean Era.

Highlights of the event included:

Presentation

  • Guest speaker, IBSSʻ Mark Tagal, took us on a foodieʻs dream voyage as he blended his 25+ years of marine biology experience with his diverse culinary background from Hawaii, the Philippines, Washington State, and a few other ports in between.
  • We learned about the meaning of merroir and why it is important for future culinarians to grasp and eventually incorporate into their future chef endeavors. Aquaculture literacy was the ultimate goal of his presentation, and being able to not only intellectually understand what the merroir is but to actually be able to try and taste it in action with a seafood tasting filled with ocean-farmed seafood, including oysters and fish.
  • We had a seafood, aquaculture, and ocean-farming Q&A session at the end. 

Food Tasting: 

  • Talented chefs at Bates Technical College created exquisite dishes featuring fresh ocean-farmed oysters and finfish from our eeBLUE grant Industry Partners. 

This was a fantastic opportunity to expand our culinary knowledge and network with fellow food enthusiasts and industry professionals. Recognized training by the Washington State Chef Association (WSCA) /American Culinary Federation (ACF).

This was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the future of seafood! 

This event was made possible through a grant from eeBLUE/NAAEE and IBSS Corp., in collaboration with NOAA Fisheries’ West Coast Regional Office. IBSS is developing an interactive curriculum to explore how ocean-farmed seafood is produced and how these methods influence taste, texture, and overall dining experience. The curriculum and corresponding traveling educational experiences will inform consumers about the origins and qualities of their ocean-farmed seafood. Through informal education, consumers will learn about the ocean farming process and gain the knowledge needed to form their own conclusions for seeking sustainable seafood. This traveling lecture and demonstration program also aims to connect aquaculture producers and consumers, showcasing the journey from farm to kitchen to plate. It will feature cooking demonstrations, accessible recipes, and informal lectures for culinary students, professionals, and the general public.