Student and tribal chefs-in-training from Siletz Valley School serve dishes highlighting Oregon-caught Albacore tuna at the Blue Foods Forum event in Portland last February. The students are returning Feb. 1-2 to work alongside Jack Strong, a Siletz tribal member and executive chef at The Allison Inn & Spa. (Photo courtesy of Rachelle Hacmac)By DANA TIMS/Lincoln Chronicle
Seaweed and other fish and foods found in Oregon’s coastal waters will get starring roles next month in a series of workshops, tours and dining opportunities stretching from Seaside to Brookings.
Dozens of events and free community gatherings make up the heart of the formally named Winter Waters Regenerative Seafare Series, which is being held for the fourth consecutive year.
Hacmac“You can’t separate Oregon seafood from sustainability and ocean health issues,” said Rachelle Hacmac, a Portland marketing consultant who helped found Winter Waters in 2023. “And keeping local seafood truly local is all about protecting our environment and helping coastal communities.”
The series opens Feb. 1 in Portland – where the first Winter Waters was almost exclusively based – with several events intended to bring food enthusiasts together with producers and policy makers. Highlights will include live purple sea urchin “touching tanks” and bites of ranched urchins from Newport-based OoNee Sea Urchin Ranch.
Charles Cupell of OoNee Sea Ranch demonstrates how they use the aquaculture setup to “ranch” wild-caught red and purple urchins until they reach the size and quality necessary for the commercial market during the Central Coast Food Web open house last July. (Photo courtesy of Rachelle Hacmac)From Portland, Winter Waters moves to Newport for a series of events Feb. 6-8, including a one-day conference focusing on “women on the water,” a marine reserves trivia get-together and a full-day, self-guided venture through Newport’s “blue economy.”
There are events Feb. 12 on the north coast, Feb. 15-16 in Lincoln City and then on its final weekend, Feb. 28 through March 1, Winter Waters moves to the south coast with events in Gold Beach, Port Orford, and Brookings.
Aaron Huang, owner of OoNee Sea Ranch, shucks urchins at Local Ocean Seafoods in Newport. The restaurant now serves urchins on its specials menu and will be offering uni atop a deviled egg as part of its Winter Waters Seafare Brunch Feb. 8. (Photo courtesy of Rachelle Hacmac)“We are really pleased to have expanded from having most of our events in Portland to now having most events on the coast,” Hacmac said. “It really lets us tell the story of just how important the ocean is to Oregon’s entire coastline.”
Emphasizing locally caught and produced products, she said, could help rebalance the fact that upwards of 90 percent of the seafood consumed in Oregon is imported. That imbalance is made worse considering that roughly the same percentage of Oregon’s ocean products are exported out of the state, with the bulk going to markets in Asia.
“Those are just crazy amounts,” Hacmac said. “And I think most people would be shocked to hear them.”
The series continues in Lincoln City on Feb. 15 with “Sip the Sea: A Pacific Northwest Wine Pairing Experience” at the SeaHorsey Bottle Shop. An educational discussion will take place following the next day with Chelsea Rose Seafood executives sharing their experiences in commercial fishing.
Along the way, seaweed – long overlooked in Oregon as a suitable addition to any dining room table – will at last gets it due, said Alanna Kieffer, who along with commercial crabber Kristen Penner round out Winter Waters’ founders.
Commercial fisherman Wilson Thompson of Port Orford took the stage last February to share what it means to fish for Albacore. Winter Waters Port Orford SeaFest returns Saturday, Feb. 28. (Photo courtesy of Rachelle Hacmac)“Seaweed from the ocean’s kelp forests is absolutely essential to maintaining healthy ocean food systems,” she said. “We want to ensure that seaweed isn’t found just on fine-dining menus, but in home kitchens, as well.”
Many of the events featured during the Winter Waters series are free and open to the public. A few, including fine-dining opportunities, require reservations and several of the events have already sold out.
“But we have definitely made sure to have as wide a variety of things going on as possible,” Kieffer said.
Last year’s dining series netted more than $80,000 in revenue for Winter Waters’ restaurant partners, and more than $6,000 was donated to the group’s non-profit partners: Oregon Kelp Alliance, FishHer: Columbia Pacific Community Alliance, and AHIVOY.
Nearly 20 businesses and organizations, including New Seasons Market and Travel Oregon, are listed as sponsors of this year’s event.
- Dana Tims is an Oregon freelance writer who contributes regularly to Lincoln Chronicle and can be reached at [email protected]
