Georges Bank at Tallulah on Thames, November 5, 2012

Chef Jake Rojas in the kitchen

Scientist Peter Auster and fisherman Tommy Quintin and wife Nancy get to know each other

Plating the scallop course

Scientist Peter Auster talks about protecting vulnerable fish habitat

Chefs add colors and flavors to the scallop dish

Chefs prepare scallop "crudo"with big black dog farm radish, pickled persimmon, yuzu, fennel

Scalloper Tommy Quintin tells some fishing tales

Fisherman's wife Nancy Quintin reads a poem

First course: Dogfish, with carrot puree, parsnip, onion confit, and butternut squash.

Guests listen as Peter Auster answers questions

Chef Jake Rojas joins the conversation

Monkfish loin with lentils du puy, pork belly, sunchoke, petite carrot, cara cara orange, and celery salad

Chefs preparing dessert

Deconstructed apple tart, with short bread, gala apple, pecan crumb, salted caramel, and vanilla bean gelato

Guests enjoy the monkfish dish

Sarah Schumann (Eating with the Ecosystem) with Chef Jake Rojas and his team

Thirty guests gathered at Tallulah on Thames on the first cold night of the fall to savor the seafood of Georges Bank, a very special offshore ecosystem that supports fishing boats from many ports in New England. Guests were joined by guest speakers Peter Auster (scientist, UConn/Mystic Aquarium) and Tommy and Nancy Quintin (scalloper and wife from New Bedford). Interspersed with amazing seafood dishes prepared by Chef Jake Rojas and his fabulous team of chefs, speakers brought Georges Bank to life for guests -- through food, images, poetry, and personal stories.

Menu:

Amuse-bouche: Scallop "crudo"with big black dog farm radish, pickled persimmon, yuzu, fennel
First course: Dogfish, with carrot puree, parsnip, onion confit, and butternut squash.
Second course: Monkfish loin with lentils du puy, pork belly, sunchoke, petite carrot, cara cara orange, and celery salad
Dessert: Deconstructed apple tart, with short bread, gala apple, pecan crumb, salted caramel, and vanilla bean gelato

Guest speakers:

Peter Auster is a Research Professor Emeritus in the Department of Marine Sciences at the University of Connecticut and a Senior Research Scientist at the Mystic Aquarium. Peter's research focuses on the ecology and conservation of fishes; specifically, how variation in behavior and patterns of habitat use across underwater landscapes mediate the distribution and abundance of fishes. His studies have focused on understanding the ecological effects of fishing and on developing a scientific basis for using marine protected areas as a conservation tool. In his work, he employs techniques under water that are similar to those used by wildlife biologists on land. He uses SCUBA, research submersibles, remotely operated vehicles, and autonomous vehicles for much for this work. Auster serves on a number of panels and committees that are focused on marine resource management and conservation, and he is involved in multiple outreach initiatives aimed at informing the public about marine conservation issues.

Tommy and Nancy Quintin: Thomas is both a son and grandson of New England Fisherman and has spent the past thirty four years at sea. He has been the Captain of the 101-foot New Bedford, Massachusetts based scalloper, Patience, for the past two decades. Over this time he has amassed quite a collection of tall tales, both at sea and on land. He was recently awarded a United States patent for an innovative gear design that both increases scallop catch rates and decreases the time fishing gear spends on the ocean floor. Being the wife of a fisherman for twenty-one years, Nancy has many of her own interesting stories to share. The daughter of an Azorean Whaler man and the Vice President of the Azorean Maritime Heritage Society, her love for the sea runs deep. She is an avid sailor of Azorean whale boats and a competitive rower of both American and Azorean whaleboats in regional and international competitions.

Tallulah on Thames is located at 464 Thames Street, Newport, RI 02840.