2nd Annual Boston Local Food Festival - North American Marine Alliance

With the amazing success of the first event, the Boston Local Food Festival is back! And, we are so proud to be a part of it again this year as we bring FishStock – complete with a Seafood Throwdown, cooking demonstrations and information booths on marine conservation and fisheries issues – back to the Boston waterfront. Stay tuned for more details.

“Fish Stock” is the portion of the Boston Local Food Festival that highlights the fisher folk and the seafood that are local to New England. The Seafood Throwdown is the main event of FishStock, and you won’t want to miss it! But in addition to the cooking demos, filets demonstrations and other activities, this year FishStock will also include fishing gear display and some fun stuff from the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association about what it takes to bring you locally caught lobsters, the state of the industry and the ecology of lobsters.

Number 7 and number 3 placed chefs in Fox’s MasterChef will engage in a culinary battle of skill and creativity with the secret seafood ingredient. Come see who will emerge the most seafood savvy! The competition will highlight the importance of incorporating local seafood in our local food priorities and will take place outside of The Barking Crab and Moakley Courthouse. Judging will be Callie Crossley of WGBH, Boston celebrity chef Didi Emmons, lobsterman David Casoni and Massachusetts fisheries commissioner Mary Griffith. The event will be emceed by award winning Gloucester-based chef Laurie Lufkin.

This year, the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance will host the Seafood Throwdown.
Chefs can bring three of their favorite ingredients, and once they discover the secret seafood they must use, they get $25 and 15 minutes to shop the Boston Local Food Festival’s vendors for ingredients. After their shopping spree, they have one hour to cook and present their entry for the judge’s consideration. Public tastings will be available.

Local seafood events lineup:

11 a.m. – 12 p.m. – Filleting and cooking demo with Barry Edleman of Five Corners Kitchen
12 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. – Seafood Throwdown with MasterChef finalists Christian Collins and Derrick Prince (see bios below), emceed by Chef Laurie Lufkin; will also include a lobster demo and presentation
2:30 – 5 p.m. – Cooking demos and tastings by the Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association,whose project Cape Ann Fresh Catch Community Supported Fishery has been supplying Boston area seafood lovers with locally caught seafood.
Prepared seafood will be available through local seafood vendors.

Seafood Throwdown Chef Bios

Derrick Prince – The first thing you read about Derrick, a personal chef from Long Island, on his website Born to Braise is “I cook. I play metal.” That’s the unique combination Derrick brings to the kitchen and it’s this unique approach that landed him amongst the top ten contestants on this year’s Fox’s MasterChef. Derrick says” I cook. I cook a lot and I like to think I’m good at it. I don’t have a set cooking style, French, Mexican, Italian, etc; the nationality or style is not important, making as much of my meal as I can is what I’m most about. Most people buy bread, I bought a 55lb bag of flour and a pound of active dry yeast.” To learn more about Derrick visit his website www.borntobraisehell.com

Christian Collins – Born and raised in the oldest settled fishing port in the country, Gloucester, MA, Christian Collins is an ambitious chef who always strives to make people happy through the food he makes. Christian has been in the industry for over five years and is now ready to branch out on his own, to bring you inspired food with sustenance! He previously participated in two Seafood Throwdowns with NAMA, and this year he was one of the contestants on Fox’s MasterChef making it all the way to the top three. He says, “Cooking to me is a journey through the senses, from finding the freshest ingredients, preparing them with the best techniques, and presenting them in the most exciting way possible! Making people happy through food is the ultimate compliment. Knowing that I can create a lasting memory through someone’s palate is what drives me to be a chef.” Visit
Christian’s website for more information http://chefchristiancollins.com

Also, visit the festival site for updates.