Newsletter Home     Industry Bite     Wild Watch     Featured Articles     Recipe of the Month     Send Us Your Ideas PBS Goes A'Field and Stream With Wild Alaska Salmon This summer, the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) will partner with KCTS/Seattle Public Television and Warner Hanson Television to premiere its episode on Wild Alaska Salmon featuring Chef Matt Littledog from Simon & Seaforts Saloon & Grill in Anchorage, Alaska. The award winning and critically acclaimed national PBS series, Chefs A' Field, will feature 13 new episodes in its second season. Filmed in brilliant HDTV, the series highlights the country's best chefs, farmers and fishermen and takes viewers on a glorious culinary adventure. Each episode starts with a well-known restaurant, travels to the field (ocean or stream) and returns to the kitchen, where the ingredients are transformed into tasty, healthful dishes made by America's best chefs. As the chefs interact with farmers and fishermen, viewers see how good environmental practices make a difference in how foods taste and hold their nutritional value. The Wild Alaska Salmon adventure begins as cameras follow Chef Matt Littledog to the icy waters of Alaska, home to the only MSC certified, sustainable salmon fishery in the world. Standing chest-deep in the rivers where the salmon spawn, and then in the fjords cut into the Katmai Mountains, Chef Littledog guides the viewers through the remarkable story of Wild Alaska Salmon. The chef also inadvertently introduces us to some of the state's biggest fish fans - bears. Witnessing a bear fishing in its natural habitat was, in his words, "one of the best moments of my life." In keeping with the Chefs A' Field format, the viewers then watch as Chef Littledog takes his catch and goes into the Simon and Seafort kitchens to prepare Wild Alaska Salmon Stuffed with Bread Pudding and Mushrooms and Risotto-Encrusted Wild Alaska Salmon Steak. Recipes are available at www.alaskaseafood.org. The 13 half-hour programs will air on public television stations nationwide beginning July 2, 2005. The Alaska salmon episode is scheduled to air in August. Please check your local listings. To read the entire story click here. "Alaska, Naturally" This summer, Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) will make available their "Alaska, Naturally" themed merchandising materials in an effort to help operators drive Alaska Seafood sales. Posters, table tents, menu sheets, and waitstaff buttons are included in the promotional package. Each piece is designed to support operators in enticing customers to order Alaska Seafood menu items from the one place on earth where the waters are still pristine and nature remains unspoiled. The messaging communicates that the cold, pure waters and the natural environment of Alaska produce seafood of the highest quality, with the firm texture and superior flavor that is prized by chefs everywhere. With Americans spending over $50 billion on seafood -- 64% of that at the foodservice level -- ASMI has always recognized the importance of supporting operators and chefs through innovative recipes and product usage tips and techniques. Over half of the seafood harvested in the U.S. is from Alaska, where tight regulations ensure the sustained abundance of this prized natural resource. Consumer awareness of this is higher than ever and recent research indicates that they are expressing a preference for seafood from Alaska. ASMI continues to assist foodservice industry leaders maximize the popularity of their seafood menus with innovative programs. "Alaska, Naturally" is a promotion specifically targeted at the dynamic attitudes and preferences of the foodservice patron. Click here for a preview of the "Alaska, Naturally" materials. Omni Hotels Features Alaska Seafood In Its "Vibrant Flavors of the U.S.A" Promotion The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute is partnering with Omni Hotels to promote Alaska Seafood in their National "Vibrant Flavors of the U.S.A" promotion. Other sponsors include California Raisins, Wisconsin Cheese, Idaho Potatoes and the National Pork Board. The promotion will run September through November and will reach approximately 2-2.5 million people. The promotion goes beyond the restaurant with Alaska Seafood being featured on the catering and room service menus and includes posters in the hotel elevators and lobby displays. A national press conference and consumer sweepstakes are also planned. Alaska Seafood will be featured on the breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus and table tents will be on every restaurant table. The promotion also includes Omni chef training to develop menuing items using the sponsors' products. Alaska Seafood will be the primary focus of one training session with ASMI providing significant product training and menuing ideas.