Alaska Sablefish and Pink Salmon Make Waves at Malibu Food & Wine
Alaska seafood took center stage at this year’s Malibu Food & Wine festival, where chefs, media, influencers and food lovers had the opportunity to experience the quality and versatility of Alaska seafood firsthand – social media coverage of the event reached nearly 100,000 unique users.
ASMI supported two chefs to showcase two Alaska seafood species: sablefish and pink salmon.
Food Network chef Tobias Dorzon (external link) created an Italian inspired Alaska sablefish dish with lemon cream risotto and basil oil.
Acclaimed private chef and culinary director chef Jack Hotchkin (external link) featured Alaska pink salmon with passion fruit and caviar blanc.
The event generated enthusiastic feedback from attendees and helped introduce Alaska seafood to new audiences through culinary experiences and social media coverage.
Media Share Positive Feedback for Alaska Sablefish and Pink Salmon
ASMI hosted Brian Moreno, Head of Video Editorial at BuzzFeed Tasty, and Alison Ashton of Parade at the festival.
“Chef Tobias’s sablefish was SO good! Cooked perfectly,” Ashton said. “And, yep, we went back for seconds on that one.”
Malibu Food and Wine Co-Founder Lauren Rey Levy shared: “Chef Hotchkin’s salmon on Sunday was one of the most talked about dishes of the day!”
Alaska Seafood Gets Social Attention
The event also generated organic social media attention for Alaska seafood.
Stacy Solodkin shared an Instagram Story from Chef Tobias’ booth featuring Alaska sablefish with her audience of 93.9K followers. The official Malibu Food & Wine account subsequently reposted the content, tagged ASMI and shared it with its 4,090 followers.
Additional coverage included:
- Adam Richman tries Alaska pink salmon on Facebook (external link)
- Adam Richman tries Alaska sablefish on Facebook (external link)
- LaLaScoop featured Alaska seafood in its coverage of the Country Cookout at Malibu Food & Wine (external link)
Positive Feedback for Alaska Pink Salmon
The positive response extended beyond the sablefish. ASMI connected with a Malibu Food & Wine co-founder following the event, who shared enthusiastic feedback about Chef Jack’s Alaska pink salmon:
“I know Jack’s salmon on Sunday was also one of the most talked about dishes of the day! Hope to have y’all back next year in an even larger capacity.”
For Alaska’s seafood industry, opportunities like Malibu Food & Wine provide a valuable way to put Alaska seafood directly in front of chefs, media and influential food audiences. The combination of chef-driven preparation, firsthand tasting experiences and organic social coverage helps demonstrate the quality and versatility of Alaska’s wild seafood.
ASMI will continue following up with event attendees and media contacts to build on the momentum and extend the reach of Alaska seafood beyond the festival.
