Ginger Rose: Ocean Wise: Tides of Change

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Ocean Wise: Tides of Change

Before fleeing off on my Israeli adventure, I had the opportunity to attend Ocean Wise: Tides of Change, an event held by the Vancouver Aquarium Conservation Program to raise awareness on how Canadian chefs are reshaping the culinary scene using Ocean Wise choices. The event, which was held at Luma, a new addition to the group of about 50 Ocean Wise partners in Toronto, emphasized the need to make ocean-friendly choices for the health of our oceans. With depleting seafood stocks becoming a critical issue (an estimated 90% of all large, predatory fish are gone from the world's oceans), and consumer interest in sustainable seafood, there was no better time for concerned industry representatives, including celebrated chefs Martin Kouprie, Dan Donovan, and Brad Long, writer and sommelier Jamie Drummond, and sustainable seafood advocate Rebecca LeHeup to form the Ocean Wise Advisory Team in Toronto - A team charged with examining the local culinary marketplace and uncovering ways to further engage and educate consumers on the issues surrounding our oceans.

The event highlighted the important work that the Advisory Team is responsible for, as well as informing guests about the many sustainable seafood options that are available to us, and of course what unsustainable seafood we should stay away from. We were introduced to both familiar and unfamiliar sustainable seafood options that stretch across Canada through a delicious and striking tasting menu created by Luma's Executive Chef Jason Bangerter. Taking us across Canada, Chef Bangerter allowed us to taste two different types of fish from each region of Canada through his artfully plated savory seafood creations. Each dish was absolutely delicious, truly showcasing the fresh Canadian fish as the star of each dish, while representing it in a unique and visually appealing way.