Storytelling, local shrimp, and all that Jazz

Food is a great vehicle for storytelling. Not only can you dive into the story of ingredients, but you can also share the cultural and ecological (terroir, merroir) narratives that shape flavor, appearance and experience.

Dana describes kakiage, the process, and the why he sources local seafood at Nikkei Izakaya. Photo: Margaret Crosby

Collaborating with Slow Fish North America, Slow Food USA and other values-aligned networks, we’ve wrapped effective storytelling around food in KNOW FISH Dinners®, Seafood Throwdowns and Chefs Camps. In each experience, we talk about learning the story of your seafood, building relationships and spreading the message.

Such was the connectivity and focus of a recent cooking demonstration hosted by chefs Dana Honn, Wataru Seiki and Christina Honn of Nikkei Izakaya during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. About 100 people packed into the room to watch Wataru and Dana make kakiage, a Japanese tempura featuring vegetables and locally sourced domestic shrimp.

Attendees also heard the story of the shrimp, the shrimp industry, and how the complex, industrialized seafood supply chain has been forcing shrimpers out of business along the Gulf Coast.

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