Sunday, June 27, 2021

Michelin-starred restaurants in California say they're shocked to find out the fish they were selling wasn't "hand-raised and sustainable"

SF Chronicle:

For years, chefs at some of the Bay Area’s most lauded three-Michelin-starred restaurants have proudly worked with a celebrated seafood farm just outside Sacramento.... They’ve plated the ranch’s caviar atop delicate egg custard and decorated its smoked sturgeon with wild strawberries for customers who pay more than $300 for the privilege of eating the best — including what they thought was hand-raised, sustainable product from [the farm].

...

Allegations about [the farm] began spreading in June, beginning on an anonymous Instagram account. These posts inspired some former employees to speak up.

...

While [the farm owner] initially defended his practices of reselling purchased seafood as common in the industry, he told The Chronicle on Tuesday that he understands why some chefs feel deceived. He plans to apologize to all of his customers.

“There is no question to me now that I have failed to effectively communicate to my chefs the origins of the fish, roe, and caviar they trust me to provide to them. This is unacceptable and I take full responsibility for it”