Culinary Institute of America students to compete for scholarships.
Forever Oceans, a sustainable open-ocean seafood leader, announced its investment in the next generation of culinary superstars. The Forever Oceans Kahala Klash™ will pit eight student finalists from The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in a cook-off to earn scholarships and superstar status as the 2021 Grand Champion.
“As a leader in next-generation mariculture, we want to help educate and support the next generation of chef superstars,” says Jason Heckathorn, Forever Oceans Chief Executive Officer. “Through this competition, we are beginning the process of educating a new breed of chefs who will embrace our important mission of nourishing the world through technology while protecting our oceans.”
Forever Oceans leverages breakthrough technology to raise seafood with higher nutritional value in Omega 3s than wild-caught salmon or tuna. Forever Oceans Kahala (Seriola Rivoliana) are raised in the open ocean. The beautiful, sashimi-grade fish have no contamination, no hormones or preventative antibiotics. The fish has a buttery flavor and holds up well to almost any prep method such as broiling, baking, grilling, pan-frying, and smoking. Kahala will be available for purchase by consumers at restaurants and at supermarkets this fall.
The company maintains operations off the coasts of Panama, Hawaii, Indonesia, and Brazil, with headquarters in Gainesville, Va.
“We are excited to work with Forever Oceans on this student innovation challenge and we are grateful for their support of our students’ education,” says David Kamen, assistant director of CIA Consulting. “This is the first student innovation challenge that is open to students from all three of the CIA’s U.S. campuses—Hyde Park, NY; St. Helena, CA; and San Antonio, Texas. We can’t wait to see and taste their creations.”
Students at the CIA’s U.S. campuses are eligible to submit a 60-second video describing how they would prepare a Kahala for a restaurant meal. Judges will select eight finalists from the three campuses to square off in the Kahala Klash cook-off at the New York campus on November 7. They will compete in front of five celebrity chefs and journalists. The grand champion will receive a $5,000 scholarship, followed by a second-place ($3,000), a third-place ($2,000), and a people’s choice ($1,000) finisher.
Forever Oceans Executive Chef, Mark Allison, says he is passionate about educating young chefs about his company’s extraordinary fish, the Kahala. “I’ve spent decades educating and working with young chefs, and when they discover our Kahala, they will love to serve it for their entire career as culinary professionals.”
Chef Rick Moonen, a CIA graduate known as the “Godfather of Sustainable Seafood,” and a member of Forever Oceans’ Culinary Board agrees.
“Kahala can be prepared in so many delicious and healthy ways,” he says. “The sustainable seafood practices of Forever Oceans are setting a new standard for protecting our environment while nourishing the world. I can’t wait to see what our celebrity judges will think about these student creations.”