Chef Art Gonzalez from Roe. Restaurant and Fish Market will get creative and serve up a tasty chowder duet featuring sea urchin and California spot prawns. The urchins are provided by  Sea Stephanie Fish. Spot prawns were caught by San Pedro fisherman Chris Hoalflinger.

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Sea Urchin

Sea urchins are collected by hand by commercial divers. With the exception of the occasional brittle star, there is no bycatch in this fishery.   Studies have shown that some sea urchins may live 50 or even 100 years! Urchins reproduce at a young age and a female might release several million eggs at a time.

Photo Credit: Jason Rothe

Spot Prawns

Spot prawns are the largest shrimp on the West Coast. The California fishery is a small, limited entry trap fishery that has minimal bycatch and habitat impacts.

Meet the Chef

Chef Art Gonzalez

Chef Art Gonzalez proves that fresh is best

Chef Art Gonzalez came from a German-Mexican household, and was exposed to a broad range of cuisines and techniques. He recalls following his mother and grandmother around the house while they prepared daylong meals, and learning as much as possible.

Cooking has always been a passion for Chef Art, but his first dream was to become a firefighter. He worked at a variety of restaurants, developing his own style with the goal of creating delicious, clean, and simple food. Chef Art says, “Quality makes a world of difference, and the taste that you achieve from using great ingredients will change how people perceive food coming out of the kitchen.”

At Roe Restaurant and Fish Market, Chef Art proves that fresh is best and enhances his seafood dishes with seasonal produce grown by local farmers.

Meet the Fisherman

Fisherman Stephanie Mutz (Sea Stephanie Fish)

Photo Credit: Fran Collin

Stephanie Mutz is a commercial fisherman who owns  her own seafood business called Sea Stephanie Fish. She specializes in urchin diving, but has diversified her fishing portfolio by adding whelk, rock crab, spiny lobster, and spot prawns to her catch. She is co-founder of the Santa Barbara Community Supported Fishery and President of the Commercial Fishermen of Santa Barbara, which integrates regional efforts of fishing communities with the aim of improving the economic and biological sustainability of fisheries.  Stephanie is also an adjunct biology professor at Ventura Community College. She has a bachelor’s degree in marine biology from University of California, Santa Barbara and a master’s degree from the School of Marine and Tropical Biology at James Cook University in Townsville, Queensland, Australia.

Join us at Chowderfest on Saturday, March 9, 2013 to see if Chef Art can cook up a winning chowder with Stephanie’s urchins and Chris’ prawns! Get your tickets today!

Chef Curtis Mar from Parkers’ Lighthouse will create a crabby chowder featuring well managed (but probably less well known) rock crabs provided by fisherman Jason Woods.

Rock Crab

The rock crab fishery is managed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Rock crabs are a less targeted species off the Central Coast due to the prevalence of larger Dungeness crab, so fishing pressure on the rock crab is generally lower.

Traps used to catch rock crab produce minimal habitat disturbance and have very low bycatch. Management is effective because minimum size requirements allow crabs to mature and mate several times before they can be legally caught.

Most of the meat is in the rock crab’s large claws. These crabs are similar to the famed Florida stone crabs, but they work in any crab recipe.

Meet the Chef

Chef Curtis Mar

Chef Curtis Mar enjoys featuring seasonal seafood items on his menus

Born in Sacramento, Chef Curtis Mar inherited the excitement of dining out from his father, who was born in China and raised in New Orleans. Remembering those pleasant outings, Chef Curtis now takes great pride when he sees Parkers’ Lighthouse guests enjoying his staff’s fresh creations.

Chef Curtis received his formal training at the California Culinary Academy, and his passion for cooking shines through with every dish he creates. Using the freshest fish, shellfish, and sustainable seafood available, he has developed a menu that is simple but compelling.

With an eye for detail, Chef Curtis includes seasonal selections on his menu. You can check them out while you enjoy the great views of Long Beach Harbor from Parkers’ Lighthouse.

Meet the Fisherman

Jason Woods

Jason Woods has loved to fish since he was a young boy. Now he fishes the waters off the California coast for crabs, urchins, and other sea creatures.
Over the years, Jason has tried his hand at most styles of commercial fishing and found his current method to be the most humane. He is proud to fish in a way that results in very low bycatch. He says, “A lot of times you don’t win by doing the right thing, but I think in this case there is a victory there. You can win by doing the right thing.”

You can find Jason’s catch at the Ventura Harbor Fisherman’s Market on Saturday mornings. Check out this episode of the perennial plate featuring Jason Woods: http://www.theperennialplate.com/episodes/2011/07/episode-62-a-day-in-the-life/.

Join us at Chowderfest on Saturday, March 9, 2013 to see if Chef Curtis and Jason’s rock crab chowder can beat the competition! Get your tickets today!

Chef Pete Lehmar of Gladstone’s Long Beach will team up with Carlsbad Aquafarm to feature responsibly farmed mussels at Chowderfest.

Mussels

Farmed mussels are cultivated using environmentally friendly methods and do not rely on fishmeal or fish oil as part of their diet. Diseases are rare, so antibiotics and chemicals aren’t necessary. The farming operation often benefits the surrounding marine habitat because the mussels filter the seawater.

Chef Pete Lehmar: Chowderfest Defending Champion!

Chef Peter Lehmar

Chef Pete Lehmar has been the Executive Chef at Gladstone’s Long Beach since 2004. Each day he prepares fresh seafood that span dozens of species, dishes, and cooking styles. Energetic and knowledgeable, Chef Pete is dedicated to using fresh, quality ingredients. He describes his cooking as straightforward, flavorful, fun, and always evolving. You can choose one of Chef Pete’s creations from Gladstone’s extensive menu that features large portions of fresh seafood, healthy salads, and eye-opening desserts. Chef Pete won the competition at the first Chowderfest in 2011.

Carlsbad Aquafarm

Carlsbad Aquafarm has been sustainably cultivating shellfish, including mussels and oysters, for 20 years. The 5-acre farm uses suspended long-line cultivation methods and shore-based seawater tanks. These methods minimize impacts on marine habitats, wild fish populations, water quality, and the community. The shellfish are harvested in a way that prevents accidental bycatch, and nothing artificial is added to the water they’re raised in. Carlsbad Aquafarm is committed to sustainable mariculture and to pursuing a balance between the demand for responsible seafood production and the preservation of our oceans’ resources.

Join us at Chowderfest on Saturday, March 9, 2013 to see if Chef Pete can defend his title with Carlsbad Aquafarm mussels! Get your tickets today!