On December 1st, restaurants across the nation are expected to participate in “America’s Night Out for Gulf Seafood,” proudly serving high quality seafood from the Gulf of Mexico to guests, friends and family.
More than a dozen chefs and restaurateurs got together last week to announce the event at a press conference in New Orleans. The December 1 “Night Out” is meant as a show of support to Gulf Coast fishing families, they said, and to demonstrate to the public that Gulf seafood is safe and delicious.
Months after the oil spill was capped for good, there remains the lingering perception among many consumers that the seafood may be “tainted” in some way from the spill. In fact, said a number of people at the press conference, Gulf seafood today is the most tested in the world and has been declared safe to eat by marine scientists, government agencies and other experts. Most of the Gulf fishing waters have been reopened, and the task now is to overcome is negative perceptions and rebuild consumer confidence.
“The seafood actually came back very quickly,” says Ralph Brennan, one of the leaders in the New Orleans’ restaurant industry. “It’s time to promote it again.” The Dine Out event “is an opportunity to tell the world that Louisiana seafood is safe, and to get people to consume it outside of Louisiana,” says Brennan. “We are actively recruiting chefs for an outstanding event in December.”
The event, called Dine America/Louisiana 2010, is an open invitation to any restaurant to participate. Organizers say all they have to do is the following:
- Sign up at the website, www.dineamerica2010.com
- Create a menu item using Gulf seafood, and place an order
- Set your own price and keep the revenue
For those restaurants looking for ideas, see The Food Channel’s menu based around Gulf Coast seafood. http://www.foodchannel.com/articles/article/american-gulf-coast-thanksgiving/
