Fish! All You Can Digest About Sustainable Seafood

This week has been hugely anticipated -- by the members of Cooks Confab, by the participants in the events they're putting on this week, and by those of us interested in sustainable seafood.

Last night was the highly successful Fish! Facts. Held at Fibonacci's Campus Point Bistro by Waters near UCSD, the sold-out event allowed guests to sample  delicious sustainable seafood dishes prepared by Cooks Confab members and guest chefs like Matt Gordon of Urban Solace and Bernard Guillas of the Marine Room. Then we listened to a fascinating talk by coral reef expert Nancy Knowlton, the Smithsonian's Sant Chair  for Marine Science and wife of marine ecologist Jeremy Jackson, who was featured after her presentation in a short video with Andrew Spurgin.  Following the Jackson interview we saw a shortened version of the documentary, The End of the Line, a truly disturbing presentation of the state of our oceans -- and, let's be honest, humanity's short-sighted greed.

On Sunday, we have two events: Fish! Forum and the Cooks Confab Fish! Dinner at 1500 Ocean at the Hotel del Coronado. The Forum is a panel discussion that I'm actually taking part in. The non-partisan, multi-media organization Passionfish is hosting what will be an  engaging and educational forum on the urgent issue of  seafood and ocean sustainability. It takes place from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the Hotel Del. My fellow panelists will include Tommy  Gomes of Catalina Offshore Products; Kristin Goodrich, Board Member,  Slow Food Urban San Diego; Martin Alberto Hall, Ph.D., Chief Scientist  at the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission; Nigella Hillgarth,  Ph.D., executive director of the Birch Aquarium; Don Kent, President of  Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute; Logan Kock, vice president at  Santa  Monica Seafood; Carl Rebstock, Executive Director of Passionfish.org  (and our moderator); Robin Siegle, Esq., Director of  the Business  Center at the National Conflict Resolution Center; and Andrew Spurgin,  Exec. Director/Chef of Waters Fine Catering.

This is a free public event and there will be time for an audience  Q&A. Following the forum at 6 p.m. will be the Cooks Confab Fish! Dinner, hosted by chef Brian Sinnott of 1500 Ocean. And, it's sold out!

Now, I'm cramming hard so I'll be able to keep up with seafood and ocean experts who have been focused on this for decades. Makes you wonder why I was invited to participate, right? Well, the reason is that I wrote a just-published piece for Edible San Diego on the topic and spoke with some of these folks and many others in the field while doing my research. So, think of me as the voice of the confused consumer. Because this is a complicated and often confusing, even contradictory topic. For those of us who are trying to do the right thing, it can be confounding. Pick up the latest issue of Edible San Diego -- the one with the big fish on the cover -- and take a look. I've tried to address much of the confusion and was able to get some useful tips from the experts on how to be a conscientious consumer.

Four Awards From San Diego Press Club

Last night's San Diego Press Club Journalism Awards has been on my mind for months now. I was on the organizing committee, tasked with rounding up restaurants for our dinner at the Hall of Champions. I hadn't thought much about actually winning any awards, although I had certainly sent in entries and learned that I'd won something. Getting 20 restaurants settled into their booths and serving our 370 attendees was higher on my list of priorities. So, I was thrilled to learn that I hadn't just won something. I'd won four awards for my food writing. I got two third-place awards: one for a story on the City Heights Farmers Market for Edible San Diego and the other for a piece on jam making for the San Diego Union-Tribune. I received a second place award for another Edible San Diego story--this one on the avocado industry in San Diego County.  And, my plaque for first prize was awarded for a piece on The Sausage King for San Diego Uptown News.

It's been a long time since I'd entered a journalism contest so this was a real thrill. And, the evening went beautifully, with kudos to all the chefs who fed us so well!

Flying Solo This Week on San Diego Gourmet

With both Robert and Maureen traveling, I'm flying solo this week on San Diego Gourmet. So, I did something smart -- I invited my friends Dominick Fiume and Candice Woo of Slow Food Urban San Diego on the show. We had a great time discussing this relatively new convivium in San Diego, and anyone who is even mildly interested in the Slow Food movement or getting to know people interested in good food, fruitful gardens and home cooking should listen in and then get involved.

Giuseppe Ciuffa Guests on San Diego Gourmet

We had some fun on San Diego Gourmet with Giuseppe Ciuffa of Giuseppe Restaurants & Fine Catering! If you've enjoyed lunch at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego's Museum Cafe, you've definitely enjoyed Ciuffa's cooking. Robert, Maureen and I got some wonderful tips about warm weather foods, everything from what types of dishes work best for a picnic to how to actually make a good pasta salad. And, oh, his description of his mother's artichoke dishes. You've got to hear it! And you can -- below:

Chefs Nathan Coulon and Christopher Idso on San Diego Gourmet

Our wonderful guests this week on San Diego Gourmet were Nathan Coulon, executive chef of Quarter Kitchen, and Christopher Idso, executive chef at Pacifica Del Mar and the Chef's Chair for this year's Taste of the Nation San Diego event. We had a great conversation with both chefs, getting an in-depth look at their restaurants and their unique cooking styles. And, we talked about Taste of the Nation, which takes place this Sunday in Balboa Park from 3 to 6 p.m. More than 20 fabulous restaurants are participating in this annual event that raises money to end childhood hunger in America. The local charities that will benefit from this year's event include the San Diego Hunger Coalition, Los Ninos, California Association of Food Banks and California Food Policy Advocates.

Tickets for Taste of the Nation San Diego are $75 for general admission but you can get a discount by buying them online at tasteofthenation.org and using the code on the page.

In the meantime, enjoy the show!

Caron has weekly food segment on SDNN.com radio show

Tune in at 8:40 every Tuesday morning to 1700 AM for your helping of food news. This is my regular spot on SDNN.com's weekday morning show with Joe Bauer and Neil Senturia. The show airs from 6 to 9 a.m. Monday through Friday and there will be a number of other guests, including other SDNN.com contributors.