Chef Jose Garces and some of Philadelphia’s best chefs delivered an unforgettable gastronomic experience highlighting Philadelphia’s vibrant culinary scene. To further the Think Local / Give Local theme, guests enjoyed everything with a local twist – cocktails with local spirits, regional handcrafted beer, and even the design and décor was locally produced.

Proceeds from the tastings and silent auction went toward the Garces Foundation, which was founded in 2012 to provide access to health and educational services to the city’s immigrant community, particularly hospitality-industry employees, and their families.

The restaurant industry is the 5th largest employer of Latinos in Philadelphia, according to the Restaurant Opportunities Center (ROC) of Philadelphia. Additionally, 25% of restaurant workers in Philadelphia are Hispanic. As a result, there are unique needs both the industry and Hispanic restaurant workers face. The Garces Foundation helps close this gap by running an English language and skills program to support the unique needs of this community.

With a heritage of more than 26 years on the Portland (Maine) waterfront, Bristol knows where to find the best tasting products that come from sustainable fisheries that meet the company’s relentless Maine standards. Bristol offers Dry Scallops that are fresh and frozen.

Bristol’s Chef Packs, which feature beautiful, whole Scallops of the highest quality, include three options: wild Scallops plucked from the Gulf of Maine or the pristine waters of Japan and Bay Scallops from the warm waters of Peru.

Wild and Local Scallops – Bristol’s wild U.S. Sea Scallops are sustainably caught in the ice-cold waters of the Gulf of Maine and North Atlantic. Bristol’s Chef Pack Scallops sear up beautifully and have a sweet authentic flavor.  Bristol and their production team understand that chefs expect Scallops with consistent quality and size and only whole Scallops. That’s why all of our Scallops are hand graded for quality and size consistency and broken Scallops and pieces are graded out of the pack. The result is all-natural, sustainable seafood that is simple to prepare and a pleasure to eat, every time.

Peruvian Scallops are sustainably ocean-ranched in the coastal bays of Peru. The Scallop are collected, shucked, and packed by small-boat fishermen and rated a “Best Choice” by the Monterrey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program. Their warm water environment gives them a soft, tender texture, sweet flavor profile. These top-quality Scallops that are all-natural, dry, and moderate in size, price, and range from 30- 50 per pound, making them the perfect size for seafood pastas, chowders, and appetizers.

Hokkaido Scallops come from Hokkaido, the most northern island of Japan, with a rich natural environment formed by the warm and cold currents that meet there. The Hokkaido Scallop fishery is certified sustainable and the Scallops are prized by chefs around the world for consistently producing extremely high quality Scallops. These Scallops are grown in the sea for 4 – 5 years, which results in large adductors that are firm and succulent with a rich sweet taste and a savory melt-in-the-mouth texture. Once harvested these Scallops are hand-shucked, graded for size and quick frozen to encapsulate their freshness. Bristol’s Chef Pack Hokkaido Scallops are available in 10/20’s and ship in the convenient Eco Pails.

Bristol believes that quality only matters if there is consistency and high standards. The company’s state of the art facility is certified by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) for food safety, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) for sustainability and Fair Trade for social welfare. But even with the state of the art equipment, everything that leaves the Bristol facility is hand finished, which no matter what, is always the best way.

Happy National (Fish) Taco Day everyone!

It seems like some of the best foods are made when cultures come together. While the history of the fish taco is pretty unclear, most foodies tend to agree that it all started when Japanese Sailors landed in Mexico (although there is still debate of the city – Ensenada or Felipe.) During this time, between 1950 -1960, native Mexicans were influenced by the tempura frying practices of Japan. From then on, Fish were fried, placed on tortillas with various toppings and the fish taco was born!

It wasn’t until the 80’s however that fish tacos made their way to plates here – largely in beachy towns. The most famous first adopter of the fish taco would be… you guessed it, San Diego, California. Today, fish tacos are to San Diego what cheesesteaks are to Philly. But you don’t have to go to Cali to get a great fish taco, our chefs all over have come up with some unique ideas. Plus, today is both National Taco Day Today, so let’s “taco bout” our favorite fish for fish tacos!

Originally, traditional fish tacos were made with deep-fried Angel Shark. These days we have evolved to Mahi as a number one choice and Snapper, Grouper, Halibut, Tilapia, and Cod as great alternatives. Some of us have even ditched the deep fryer for more flavorful grilled fish tacos! As for preparation and toppings, the sky has been the limit for our creative chefs! Here are our three favorite unique fish to stir your imagination for fish tacos.

Grilled Barramundi Taco with Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Hidden Palms Barramundi – Aquaculture raised in the Red Sea

This is another unique and wonderful white fish with B.A.P certification. Hidden Palms Barramundi has a sweet and clean meaty taste with a medium-firm texture, jumbo flake, and a high fat content. We love Hidden Palms Barramundi – the flavor is buttery and satisfying unlike any fish we’ve eaten.

The extremely high salinity of the tropical waters in the Red Sea produce healthier, tastier fish with sweeter flavor and firmer texture. This also makes for a nice thick skin that crisps up perfectly.  A very versatile fish, Hidden Palms Barramundi is great grilled, roasted, broiled, pan seared, fried, steamed, poached, smoked, and served ceviche or crudo.

For Barramundi fish tacos, we like this one tempura fried or simply baked, broiled, or grilled to get that skin nice and crispy.

Grilled Atlantic Salmon with Vegetables

True North Salmon – Aquaculture Raised in the Gulf of Maine and Canada

When you think of fish tacos, you probably don’t think of Salmon first, but True North Atlantic Salmon is a great fish to add a little flair to your tortillas. True North Salmon has a mild, sweet oily flavor with medium texture and a medium flake that takes well to heavy spices and marinades. Another B.A.P. certified fish, True North Salmon is a delicious and sustainable choice. And everyone loves Salmon’s versatility – It’s perfect when its grilled, roasted, broiled, pan seared, fried, steamed, poached, smoked, and of course served ceviche or crudo. It time to add True North Tacos to that list!

For Salmon tacos, we like it spiced up with a really good char. As for fillings, we’ll let you decide, but we recommend topping it off with some of that crispy Salmon skin.

Happy (Fish) Taco Day everyone, we’ll just leave you with some last minute taco topping tips. Our favorite is using your leftover trim to make “two-way” tacos. Ceviche the trim and add it on top for an extra layer of flavor and succulence to your treat. Canterbury Cure’s Smoked Trout Caviar and Smoked Fish options also make great garnishes. Samuels even provides unique, fresh produce that are perfect for any taco creation including Finger Limes for an extra “pop” of citrus, and Sea Beans for a nice ocean crunch. All and all when it comes to taco toppings, think outside of the shell.