Locally Caught Seafood Takes Center Stage Second Annual Celebrate Grown on Long Island Day Farmers Market

Contact:

Barbara Branca, Communications Manager, New York Sea Grant, 631-632-6956; 631-839-1763
Judi Veeck, Public Affairs and Development Director, 631-727-7850  Ext 372
Antoinette Clemetson, Marine Fisheries Specialist, New York Sea Grant, 631-727-3910

Yaphank, NY, August 15, 2012 - Seafood Throwdown, a unique cooking competition that show cases the importance of local seafood in restoring a healthy ocean ecosystem, is coming to the Second Annual Celebrate Grown on Long Island Day Farmers Market on Friday August 17, 2012 from 11am to 1pm, to be held at Suffolk County Farm, 350 Yaphank Avenue, Yaphank NY 11980. In this Iron-Chef inspired competition, renowned East-End Chef Tom Rutyna of TR Restaurant & Bar and Chef Bryan Futerman of Foodys will face off against each other as they transform two mandatory secret ingredients (seafood and fresh produce) supplemented with other fresh ingredients they buy using a strict budget at the farmers market, into culinary delights.  The second mandatory secret ingredient is being introduced in this event as a special nod to celebrate local food production – by land and sea.  The Seafood Throwdown was pioneered by the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance (NAMA), a not-for-profit organization working with fishing communities throughout the region. You can visit http://namanet.org to read about their work.

Judging this spectacular competition will be Long Island Commercial Fishing Association Executive Director Bonnie Brady, food and style critic Ralph DiGennaro, Edible East End magazine writer Brian Halweil, and New York Seafood Council President Roger Tollefsen. Two-time Gracie-Allen Award winner and radio host of the Peconic Public Broadcasting WPPB 88.3 FM morning show’s “Eclectic Café”, Bonnie Grice, will emcee the event giving the play-by-play of all the action.

This year’s Seafood Throwdown season was kicked off in July 2012 at the Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket when Brooklyn-based restaurant Chef Cheryl Smith of Cheryl’s Global Soul defeated Executive Chef Sam Sherman of Applewood in a close heart pounding race to plating in “Battle Fluke” donated by Blue Moon Fish Company (watch the video at www.nyseagrant.org/marinefish click “News”).   The event in Yaphank is coordinated by New York Sea Grant and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County Marine Program. The secret seafood ingredient is being donated by PE & DD Seafood (Riverhead).  The throwdown promises to be another fun, educational and community-driven activity designed to highlight the many health benefits of a seafood diet and the importance of small family owned and operated fishing businesses in feeding New Yorkers and helping to sustain our coastal economies.


Pictured above, New York Sea Grant director, James Ammerman talks with Erin Fairbanks, Executive Director of Heritage Radio Network, about Sea Grant's role in Community Supported Fisheries, a concept emphasized at the first Seafood Throwdown we partnered on, held in Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn this past July. The event was a partnership of NYSG, Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance (NAMA), GrowNYC/NYC Greenmarket and others. Photo courtesy of NAMA.


“The recent Brooklyn Seafood Throwdown was a great way to promote sustainable local fisheries and the health benefits of seafood,” said Jim Ammerman, Director of New York Sea Grant.  “Now a Throwdown is coming to Long Island to help promote the establishment of community supported fisheries (CSFs), modeled on community supported agriculture.  CSFs can provide fresh caught local seafood to local markets and also give fishermen a better price.”
 
"New York fishermen harvest a wide selection of local seafood in a sustainable manner based on current fishery management plans. Let's support our NY seafood industry and enjoy fresh, local seafood harvested by local fishermen”, said Emerson Hasbrouck, CCE Marine Program Director.

 “NAMA’s not-so-secret agenda is to raise awareness about the ecological and economic importance of locally caught seafood in our efforts to rebuild commercial fisheries, ensure our access to locally caught and sustainable seafood, and protect the marine environment,” said Niaz Dory, NAMA’s Director. “  

Join us for this live event as our chefs shop, prepare, cook and serve their dishes to the judges and prepare tasting samples.  The competition is one of many activities during Celebrate Grown on Long Island Day, from 11am to 4pm, which is organized by the Long Island Farm Bureau.  Judging will begin promptly at 12:30pm ahead of the proclamation by Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone of August 17 as Grown on Long Island Day.



More Info:

New York Sea Grant (NYSG), a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York, is one of 32 university-based programs under the National Sea Grant College Program (NSGCP) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Through its statewide network of integrated services, NYSG has been promoting coastal vitality, environmental sustainability, and citizen awareness about the State’s marine and Great Lakes resources since 1971. For updates on New York Sea Grant activities, www.nyseagrant.org has RSS, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube links.