KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
Chicago’s premier seafood wholesaler, The Plitt Company, offered a once-in-a-lifetime journey to Kodiak Island for two of the Windy City’s chefs who prepare wild Alaskan salmon at their restaurants. The chefs arrived on the island last week with the Plitt Company’s marketing director. Mary Donaldson has more.
For the past few years, the Plitt Company has been bringing various chefs to Alaska to see where the wild Alaska seafood they purchase and prepare comes from. This year the company donated the trip to some of Chicago’s Green City Market board members. Two chefs, Sarah Stegner of the Prairie Grass Café, and Carrie Nahabedian of the Naha Restaurant received the trip Alaska.
Mary Smith, the Plitt Company’s marketing director, accompanied the chefs to Alaska to show them a first hand account of where the product they purchase originates.
(Smith 1 :20s “…comes from.”)
The chefs arrived in Kodiak last Monday and say the trip really brings home for them how the whole process works, from start to finish.
Nahabedian says the choice to use Alaska Seafood in her restaurant is obvious.
(Nahabedian 1 :28s “…and halibut”)
Stegner says her customers demand the fresh seafood from Alaska on her menu.
(Stegner 1 :08s “…if we didn’t have it.”)
The two chefs had the opportunity to venture out to Moser and Olga bays to visit some set net sites, and to see how they operate. They say the highlight of the trip was being able to see the salmon and how they are caught at the sites.
Nahabedian says this trip has enlightened her to the process or “life cycle” on how the fish eventually make it her restaurant.
(Naha 2 :15s “…that we serve at our restaurants.”)
Stegner says sustainable seafood sources are important to get to know.
(Stegner 2 :12s “…it was great.”)
Nahabedian and Stegner say they will take away with them memories of Kodiak’s pristine beauty as they head back to their restaurants in Chicago. Both say the hospitality of Alaskans is amazing, as they got to catch a sneak peak into the lives of fishermen for a day. Besides checking out remote sites, the group went whale watching and had many other Alaskan sight-seeing opportunities.
The Plitt Company is a seafood wholesaler, based in Chicago and serves top quality seafood products to high-end restaurants, professional chefs, retailers, and caterers across the U.S. Chicago’s Green City Farmers Market offers sustainable food products, including Alaskan seafood.
I’m Mary Donaldson.
###
____________________________________________________________________
HOST TAG: A blog of this trip can be found at Kodiak Island –dot-blogspot.com
