Dock to Dish: Los Angeles
Dock to Dish Los Angeles was founded in 2015 by 16 small-scale commercial fishermen from the port of Santa Barbara, who were organized by local Captains Eric Hodge and Brett Wilson.
This new alliance of artisans was joined by Executive Chef/Co-Owner Michael Cimarusti at the acclaimed Providence Restaurant, and UCSB marine biologist Sarah Rathbone, to establish the first-ever Restaurant Supported Fishery (RSF) in the state of California.
Chef Cimarusti rapidly expanded the program to include his trio of seafood-focused concepts, where he combines his knowledge and appreciation of the dynamic nature of seafood with an advocacy for sustainable fishing practices evident in every dish.
The RSF program has since expanded to include many of the best restaurants in the city and surrounding areas. To find out where you can access Dock to Dish fish in the Los Angeles area, please see The Evolution and Expansion of Dock to Dish LA below.
Watch the Founders of Dock to Dish Los Angeles in Action
Explore the origins of the Dock to Dish movement in LA in this short video produced by ABC The Chew:
The Evolution and Expansion of Dock to Dish LA
Cimarusti’s acclaimed first restaurant Providence, the birthplace of Dock to Dish LA and a bastion of Los Angeles fine dining for over a decade, has yielded several James Beard Award nominations and two highly coveted Michelin stars; and is now revered as a world-class fish cookery that reinforces the principles of sustainability and seasonality. Cimarusti’s second concept, Connie and Ted’s pays homage to Cimarusti’s grandparents and the simple, honest seafood of New England. His newest venture is Cape Seafood and Provisions, a sustainable seafood market that opened in the fall of 2016, now houses the headquarters of the L.A. chapter of Dock to Dish, and serves wild-caught whole fish and traceable, curated custom filets on a retail level.
Dock to Dish LA has grown exponentially under Cimarusti’s advocacy and leadership on the West Coast, indoctrinating some of L.A.’s best restaurants into the program, including Republique, Mozza, Felix, Charcoal and Melisse, N/Naka, Otium, Angelini, Belcampo. Cimarusti and his team at Cape Seafood also provide sustainably caught seafood from the Dock to Dish LA program to the general public at the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market every weekend.
Know Your Fisherman
Watch leading U.S. chefs and authors explain the Dock to Dish difference in this short video:
