Georges Bank at Tallulah on Thames, November 26, 2013

We were delighted to host the final Eating with the Ecosystem dinner this year at Tallulah on Thames!. With Chef Jake Rojas and co-owner Kelly Ann Maurice, we celebrated the Georges Bank ecosystem with a great menu and two thoughtful and informative speakers.

Tables glisten before the guests arrive

Cooking squid

Plating the squid dish

First course: Squid with piquillo, radish, and lemon confit

Guests enjoy the squid dish

Cooking scallops and squash

Plating the scallop dish

Second course: Scallops with butternut squash, curry, and coconut

Grilled skate wing

Assembling the skate dish

Plating the skate dish

Skate dish ready to go

Third course: Skate with green bean amandine, potato puree, cabbage, and beurre noisette

Guests enjoy the skate dish

Preparing the monkfish

Monkfish dish is plated

Fourth course: Monkfish with duck pastrami, puttanesca, and parpadelle

Guest speaker Brett Tolley from the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance

Brett Tolley and guest speaker Matt MacKenzie from the University of Connecticut

Jake and Kelly Ann listen to the guest speakers

Dessert

Jake shares his thoughts

Menu by Chef Jake Rojas: "Taste of Georges Bank"
SQUID | piquillo / olive / radish / lemon confit
SCALLOP | butternut squash / curry / coconut
SKATE | green bean almondine / potato puree / cabbage / burre noisette
MONKFISH | duck pastrami / puttanesca / pappardelle

Brett Tolley is a fisheries activist originally from Cape Cod, where he comes from a four-generation fishing family. Brett has worked in the fishing industry hanging nets, working on boats of various gear-types, and commercially shellfishing. But as a young man he made the decision to become a fisheries activist rather than a fishermen. That decision led to his becoming the community organizer for the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance, where he has been working to represent the interests of New England's community-based fishermen at the policy level, most recently working to assure a diverse and sustainable groundfish fleet in the face of accelerating consolidation of access to commercial fishing.

Matt McKenzie is a fisheries historian based at the University of Connecticut Avery Point, and in addition to teaching and researching the history of New England fishing, he represents Connecticut on the New England Fisheries Management Council, a post that gives him unique insight into the current issues affecting fish and fishermen in our region. At the dinner, Matt will talk about the seasonal nature of preindustrial local fishing, highlighting the diversity of species eating and the daily, small-scale flavor of the fishery. Read more about Matt in this interview, and view his recentTEDx talk here.

Videos of our featured speakers' presentations. First, UCONN historian Matt McKenzie gave us a perspective going back in time:

Then, Brett Tolley of the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance told us about growing up as the son of a fisherman, finding common ground with family farmers, and what he has learned through his journey as a fisheries activist:

Guets had lots of questions for Brett and Matt. This is the Q&A session: