Café Services Celebrates Earth Day With Ocean-Friendly Seafood Specials

Corporate Food Service Company Looks To Hook Diners on Sustainable Seafood

At Café Services, Earth Day* has long been an opportunity to encourage food choices that not only taste good; but also are healthy and safe for the environment. This year, the corporate food service company serving Massachusetts is focusing its Earth Day activities offshore and promoting sustainable seafood practices.

Protecting the ocean is vital to our food supply. Yet modern fishing practices are affecting our ocean ecosystems and driving many fish populations to dangerously low levels.

By choosing fish varieties that are farmed and caught in sustainable ways, we can all make a positive difference in the health of our oceans. Café Services is doing its part by offering business diners a special, ocean-friendly menu on Earth Day, along with tips and guidance for making sustainable seafood choices.

“With thousands of customers, we’re in a great position to spread awareness of how our seafood consumption habits impact the ocean, ”says Café Services Executive Chef, Steve Rice. “Our Earth Day menu shows that there are a lot of tasteful options out there, and introduces diners to different fish varieties and preparation ideas.”

Healthy Choices for Healthy Oceans

Steve created the Café Services Earth Day menu with recommendations from the Monterey Bay Aquarium SeafoodWatch^® initiative. The Signature entrée features seared Mahi-Mahi with grilled zucchini, roasted plum tomatoes, asparagus and roasted Yukon Gold potatoes. A US long-line caught fish; Mahi-Mahi is listed by SeafoodWatch as a “Best Choice” and regulated to limit the accidental catch of sea turtles and other wildlife.

Many Café Services locations are taking the Earth Day menu further and serving SeafoodWatch-recommended fishes at other stations including soup, the grill and deli. At Verizon in Waltham, Mass, for example, the grill is featuring a salmon burger on a whole-wheat bun.  Made from Scottish King salmon, an ocean-safe alternative to the endangered Atlantic variety, the burger is served with fresh plumb tomatoes, baby arugula and cilantro mayonnaise.

Getting Diners Hooked On Sustainable Seafood

Steve, who’s working with Café Services Director of Standards and Training Tara Stone to promote the sustainable seafood message, is hoping the corporate food service company’s Earth Day celebration inspires a sea change in diners’ fish consumption habits.

“Helping diners choose foods that are better for their health and the environment is a Café Services priority,” he says. “While we celebrate it on Earth Day, we practice it every day.”

*Earth Day 2014 is April 22.

I’ve been born and bred corporate dining and corporate catering from the very beginning of my career in the Silicon Valley and now, since 2001 in the Boston Metro Area. While working my way up through the ranks, all the experience has led up to my current position as the Corporate Executive Chef for Café Services, based out of Manchester, NH. I have the privilege to be able to utilize creativity, research and technology to dream up our company’s new culinary programs and custom menus for corporate cafeteria clients and bring them to life. Café Services supplies the resources to ensure success of our ever-evolving companywide culinary initiatives and I’m very grateful for the opportunity. Seeing the success of new programs in the field is my motivation. It’s a win win.