Mussels, clams, and sea vegetables are versatile, flavorful ingredients with some of the lowest environmental footprints in the food system. Guest curiosity is growing, but these foods remain rare on U.S. menus. One reason? Most chefs haven't had the time, training, or hands-on experience to explore their potential.
BITE set out to change that. In partnership with sustainable seafood expert Chef Barton Seaver and eight other influential chefs, we developed Cook Aquatic Foods: an eight-week program combining a sensory-first workshop led by BITE and a guest chef with bite-size weekly lessons and ongoing mentorship. We delivered the program three times in partnership with two of the largest foodservice operators, Sodexo and Compass Group.
Of the 29 chefs who completed the program, 65% added sustainable aquatic foods to their menus, creating 26 new dishes for 242,000 guests to choose from.
Download the case study to see what chefs created, why the in-person workshop made the difference, and how BITE can bring this approach to your kitchen.
