Chef Rick Moonen Announced As True North Salmon's Ambassador

On March 15, everyone who is anyone in the restaurant and seafood industry gathered at the Seaport Convention Center for the Annual New England Seafood Expo. 

In addition to the usual celebration of New England's maritime bounty, as well as the growing call for awareness towards issues of sustainability and food security, this weekend also saw the announcement of Rick Moonen's ambassadorship for True North Salmon.  Hailing from New York, but now living and making a real splash in Las Vegas, as well as throughout the nation's restaurant and seafood industries, Rick Moonen is the Chef and Owner of RMSeafood and the first chef to hold an ambassadorship with such a large scale sustainable fishing producer.

On Sunday evening, Coppa enoteca in the South End held an official launch event celebrating Chef Moonen and his new position as well as everything that both he and True North Salmon do for the health, integrity and flavor of Salmon.

In a brief, sit-down interview with Rick, he stressed the importance of knowing exactly where each and every ingredient on his menu comes from, how they are raised and transported from their natural grounds to his kitchens.  This is what he bases his restaurant concept on, and the only way he feels confident in building lasting relations between himself and each and every one of his guests. 

As ambassador for True North Salmon, he knows he can not only stand behind a product that has been healthfully and naturally raised, but more importantly, he knows that the food he is using in his daily menus, is being managed in such a way that generations to come will continue to enjoy fresh and delicious fish sources and that the environments and habitats his fish come from, are being dutifully and sustainably maintained.

As Chef Rick cooked up a sumptuous fennel and blood orange stuffed salmon for the guests, he could not stress enough the importance of integrity and awareness for everyone.  'I feel as though I am on the tipping point', he claimed.  The tipping point of something that can, if managed properly, make a fundamental difference for us and for future generations.  

In a parting remark, Rick said,  'Nobody hugs the fish'.  But with such a strong stamp on sustainable fish development and the continued drive to educating our diners, perhaps lives can be gained and most certainly enriched.