Photo by Stian Roenning
Audio By Carbonatix
If you’ve missed chef Brad Kilgore’s culinary skills these past few months, you’ll have a chance to experience his expertise during next week’s Fish House Live culinary competition.
Cochon 555 founder Brady Lowe conceived of the three-day culinary competition to spotlight responsible aquaculture among both consumers and chefs.
“Today, we hear about the adverse effects that poorly run aquaculture facilities can have on an ecosystem, the reason we want to float this conversation to the forefront,” Lowe tells New Times. “We need technology and responsibly managed fisheries to work together to ensure we can feed the future while keeping our waters clean.”
Lowe originally planned on hosting the seafood-centric dining series in Miami in August 2020, instead resorting to a virtual competition livestreamed from Lowe’s Atlanta restaurant, the Pantry & Provisions.
Lowe hopes this year’s Fish House brings awareness to both sustainable seafood and chefs participating in the series. “This past year has been tough, especially for independent restaurants and our local food systems that rely on clean, safe and honest foodways,” he says.
The competition is named after the Fish House punch, first served in 1735 at Schuylkill Fishing Company of Pennsylvania, the first angling cooperative and longest-running social club in the English-speaking world. George Washington was among the honorary members who visited and socialized over the punch, a concoction of rum, cognac, and peach brandy typically served over an ice block in a punch bowl and garnished with lemon slices.
Habitat at 1 Hotel South Beach
Photo courtesy of 1 Hotel South Beach
Fish House Live will take place at Habitat at the 1 Hotel South Beach from Monday, August 2 through Wednesday, August 4. The three-day sustainable food and beverage contest will feature a lineup of bartenders, sommeliers, and national and local chefs.
Each evening, two chefs will go head-to-head, tasked with creating a six-course tasting menu using sustainable seafood. Alongside the chefs, sommeliers will provide pairings of Spanish wines from the Ribera del Duero and Rueda wine regions.
Finally, some of Miami’s best bartenders will create their own versions of the Fish House punch during the dinners.
Each dinner starts at 7 p.m. and costs $150 per person, per night (inclusive of a welcome beverage, wine pairings, and punches). A portion of ticket sales will benefit Supporting Surfside. Each evening is limited to 30 guests.
The three-day event will begin Monday, August 2, with a cook-off between chef Brad Kilgore and chef Chris Crary of 1 Hotel West Hollywood, California.
On Tuesday, August 3, chef Giannina Barrantes from Habitat at 1 Hotel South Beach will face off against Denevin Miranda from 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge.
On Wednesday, August 4, Ross Jansen of Watr at the Rooftop at 1 Hotel South Beach will compete against Yia Vang from the Union Hmong Kitchen in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Each evening’s dinner will be judged by a group of local industry professionals, with chefs looking to score points to earn a spot at the Fish House finale in Aspen, Colorado. Sommeliers will compete for a trip to the Ribera del Duero and Rueda wine regions in Spain, and participating bartenders will vie for a Kentucky bourbon tour.
If you can’t make it to any of the dinners, each event is scheduled to stream on Facebook Live from 7 to 10 p.m. each evening.
Fish House Live at Habitat at 1 Hotel South Beach. 2341 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach. August 2, 3 and 4 from 7 to 10 p.m. Tickets cost $150 per person, per evening at fishhouse.live.
