Profiles

Barton Seaver

Executive Chef Barton Seaver is the co-owner of Hook Restaurant, a sustainable seafood restaurant in his native Washington, D.C. Barton was taught at an early age about the importance of food. Eating dinner with his family was a “communal celebration” and involved shopping for the freshest ingredients at local markets, instilling this value in him at a young age. In early 2005, Seaver accepted the position of Executive Chef at Café Saint-Ex, where he adapted the menu to focus on simply prepared wood-grilled items and local organic ingredients (including sustainable fish species), Barton left Café Saint-Ex and Bar Pilar in March 2007 to open Hook in Georgetown. Awarded two and a half stars by Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema, Hook allows Chef Seaver’s dedication to the use of sustainable seafood to flourish. He is a member of the Board of Directors of DC Central Kitchen as the culinary force behind the non-profit’s educational programs. In addition to being a member of Seafood Choices Alliance, he is also active with Chefs Collaborative, Blue Ocean Institute and the National Resturant Association. Barton was recently named a finalist for the 2008 Seafood Champion Awards.

What is your favorite seafood?
I love clams and oysters. I think it’s because I associate them with Maine fish shacks and New England fisheries. For some reason I’ve had a long held fascination with clam shacks and the local places along the New England coast because I see that as the epitome of good eating.

What’s the most popular seafood item offered on the menu at Hook?
The grilled calamari and the bluefish are our two most popular items. The calamari is prepared over our wood grill and served with a warm potato salad and basil-walnut pesto. Most people are used to it sliced, fried and served with marinara sauce, but we leave the calamari in one or two pieces while we grill it. The bluefish is seared on a flat-top grill and served with grilled lemon, a potato-parsnip cake and the same pesto as the calamari. Bluefish is a great species and has great flavor, but it spoils very quickly so I know many chefs and home cooks who are wary to use it. It has become one of the top dishes on the menu and people have really taken a liking to this fish.

How did you get interested in the issue of sustainable seafood?
I first began as a proponent of the sustainable terrestrial ethic, much like what is espoused in Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma. As I learned about how we as chefs can be caretakers of the earth, I began to learn more about the oceans. I was a graduate teacher at CIA [Culinary Institute of America] in the meat and fish department, so I already had a background in fish. I would say that I became interested in sustainable seafood in earnest in the last 5 years.

How would you describe your philosophy on ocean conservation?
Diversifying the demand we place on our oceans and fisheries is my primary philosophy on ocean conservation. I would love to be able to use only local, sustainable products, but at the time it is not possible to source only from within my immediate area. Instead I get products from other areas by utilizing the existing infrastructure. This way we can give fisheries that are dangerously low a chance to replenish, while at the same time giving chefs a chance to expand their repertoire with new, delicious and sustainable species.

How does your philosophy effect the fish served at your restaurant?
I feel that the essential characteristic of sustainability is flexibility. A year ago I had fish on my menu that I would not use today. As my knowledge of the subject grows, and as science provides more answers and better information on various fisheries I have to be willing and ready to admit that what I know now may be wrong. I also strongly believe that sustainability does not just relate to the how, what and where of catching the fish, but more importantly the who and why. I want to support suppliers who are ecologically and socio-economically responsible in their approach to resource management.

Do your customers notice?
Hook is specifically a sustainable seafood restaurant. At first I think people came for the novelty of it, but then they tasted the food and came back for it. I don’t want to brow beat my customers with the message of sustainability, but I hope that they begin to understand and ask more questions after dining with us. From the way a server greets guests to the artwork on the walls, I want to create an amazing dining experience, but one with a conscience.

Do you feel it limits what you can offer?
I think most people would assume this ideology and style of cooking would be very limiting, but for the most part it is a great way to work. I don’t always know what my suppliers are sending, so there is an aspect of surprise and mystery when we are receiving our fish. My style of cooking uses really fresh fish and great local produce – if you start with exceptional products, you don’t need to alter them much to make a great dish. Sure, in January when my suppliers have a limited selection I get slightly discouraged, but then it simply pushes me to find new ways to highlight a great item.

How has the sustainable seafood movement affected your bottom line?
Most people are suprised to learn that my food costs are the same, or even lower, than most other restaurants. Many popular species of fish are expensive due to high demand, and it is this demand that has caused them to be overfished. The fish I serve in my restaurant is generally lesser known to the masses, and I work with great suppliers whom I trust. I get a very high yield from the fish when they come in, and much of what cannot be used for an entrée can be used for our crudo course, which is usually thin sashimi-style slices of raw fish with one or two seasonal accompaniments.

Have your seafood purveyors worked with you on getting sustainably caught seafood?
My suppliers have been the essential part of this process. I cannot be in the water and on the shore seeing how the fish are caught, so I have to trust their methods and practices. We use some suppliers that offer a wide range of fish, including some less sustainable options. Other suppliers focus exclusively on sustainable species and practices. Sometimes it is simply a matter of taking the time to research, and understanding that sharing the information can be beneficial to both the supplier and the cause at large. All our suppliers have been energetic in helping us fulfill our mission.

What trends have you noticed in seafood in the past 10 years?
Unfortunately I have seen the branding and popularity of particular species come to be the norm. Instead I would prefer people to be interested in methods and areas that would make a wide variety of species available, as well as utilizing bycatch which is so often discarded.

Why are you a Seafood Choices Alliance member?
Seafood Choices Alliance is an invaluable organization that brings together members of the international conservation community. As a chef I feel it is important that I be informed and do my best to inform my peers of what is happening in ocean conservation. Chefs have a prominent voice in affecting food choices and are the keepers of American food culture. In addition, restaurants are the number one outlet for seafood in the United States, so it is essential that we can ensure the products we serve are sustainable.

Posted February 11, 2008