Chefs repopulating the oceans

Ferran Adrià (elBulli Foundation, Spain); Massimo Bottura (Osteria Francescana, Italy); Daniel Humm (Eleven Madison Park, United States); Ashley Palmer-Watts (Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, UK); Alex Atala (D.O.M., Brazil); Juan Mari and Elena Arzak (Arzak, Spain), Pedro Subijana (Akelaŕe, Spain); Grant Achatz (Alinea, United States); Brett Graham (The Ledbury, UK); Joachim Wissler (Vendôme, Germany); HeinzReitbauer (Steirereck, Austria); Gastón Acurio (Astrid y Gastón, Peru); Enrique Olvera (Pujol, Mexico); Rodolfo Guzmán (Boragó, Chile); Normand Laprise (Toqué, Canada) and José Luis González (Gallery Vask, Philippines). Plus Renè Redzepi (Noma, Denmark), who’s unable to attend but has pledged his support.

This is the incredible parterre of prominent chefs who, welcomed by hosts Andoni Luiz Aduriz of Mugaritz and Joan Roca of Celler de Can Roca, tomorrow will announce their commitment to Oceana’s campaign “Save the Oceans: Feed the World” at the Basque Culinary Centre in San Sebastian in the Basque Country. The project is a consequence of the decline of wild fishing stocks in the seas, which was at various times reported by scientists, to which one needs to add that 90% of all the seafood caught is controlled by just 30 countries, which are the ones that need to be alerted with greater energy. According to Oceana, by stopping overfishing, limiting bycatch and protecting the habitat in these countries one could have enough seafood to provide one billion people a sustainable seafood meal each day.

Among other things, after tomorrow’s meeting, a book called “The Perfect Protein” will be released in a special digital edition and available on Amazon – translated as a start into Spanish, Portuguese and German. It will include recipes based on sustainable fish, signed by each of the participating chefs. Jorge Martínez’s film, which will premiere in San Sebastian, will go under the same title: the main focus will be on the opinions each of the chefs participating at the BCC has on the subject. With remarks by Andrew Sharpless, CEO of Oceana, portraying and synthetizing the numbers of this phenomenon.

Upon presenting the event, Andoni Aduriz commented: «It is truly amazing that so many prominent chefs who are so hectically busy, are coming to San Sebastian on March 17. Chefs feel passionately about the importance of wild seafood, not just on the small scale and what it brings to our kitchens, but also because of its importance to the planet. I think we all just deeply feel the need to support this campaign and help make the oceans abundant again». «Avant-garde», added Massimo Bottura, «is not like 10-15 years ago: at that time the chefs’ ego prevailed with his tricks and fireworks. Today it’s the time to show we have a great responsibility, a social role in order to promote a more sustainable world, in every direction, not only in the sea». Paolo Marchi will report from San Sebastian tomorrow.