Course:FNH200/Projects/2020/An Interview with Vancouver Fish Company's Chef: Summer
The Vancouver Fish Company
The Vancouver Fish Company is a seafood-focused Restaurant & Bar located on Granville Island in Vancouver, BC. We sat down with Summer Stuart, the new executive chef of the eatery, to get an insight into how she creates, sources, maintains, and prepares the dishes on the menu. Summer has worked in the food industry for fifteen years which began at Starbucks initially. Her first job where she became directly involve in food service was at Earls, a local chain restaurant, before she continued on with her career in fine dining. Stepping stones in Summer’s career involved gaining knowledge and experience through her work, as well as going to The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT). She has also done schooling with focus on gastronomy and the fine dining industry.
The interview was conducted at the restaurant on Granville Island. It has been uploaded onto YouTube and split into Parts One, Two, and Three.
The Interview with Chef Summer
Below are summary points from the interview, and how Summer's points relate to topics learned in FNH 200.
1. How are certain foods in the restaurant stored and what type of preservation techniques are used at the Vancouver Fish Company?
Temperature is incredibly important as it has a direct relationship with the length at which fresh meat and fish are kept at high quality with minimal deterioration (Lesson 7). Storage and preservation methods differ depending on the type of produce e.g. there is a dry storage area for foods such as potatoes, onions, and olive oil which is different from the conditions necessary for fresh meat. These storage methods are guided by health inspectors as well as through government regulations. As learned in Lesson 4, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is in charge of providing inspection services related to the food as well as administration and enforcement of different food acts that must be followed while public health inspections of retail stores and food service establishments are run municipally (Lesson 4). Seafood is stored above meat and raw food is never stored over cooked food. All the nuts are stored together and all the oils are stored together. The foods are all properly sealed with lids up off the floor. The exception is canola oil which is stored on the floor because it gets deep fried. This ties back to Lesson 2 in which we learned oils can be heated to very high temperatures before beginning to smoke and vaporize, allowing for foods cooked in oils (i.e. deep frying) to be cooked very fast in the high temperatures. Fresh food is sourced from local Vancouver and surrounding area suppliers. As learned in Lesson 1, Canada exports raw fish and processed fish to other countries, while there are also other types of fish that may be imported into Canada
2. The Vancouver Fish Co. is known for its fresh seafood, so can you explain what you do in the kitchen to keep your product fresh? For example, can you walk through the process from sourcing fresh
oysters to receiving them, storing them, and then preparing them for the guests?
Food products are packed and properly sealed once received from suppliers. If left uncovered, oysters dry out and die; they are startled by drafty air, which causes them to open their shells, whisking away the moisture. On the other hand, putting ice directly on oysters can freeze them, which also causes them to die. To keep oysters alive and fresh for as long as possible in storage, it is best to keep them covered with a cool damp cloth. The key is to find a balance between keeping the cool circulating air of the fridge from hitting them while also maintaining a temperature that is below 4oC (as food that requires refrigeration for storage has the potential to grow bacteria rapidly at temperatures above 4oC ), but also not too cold so that they do not freeze and die. Factors such as temperature, gain or loss of moisture, physical deterioration, and time all play a role in food storage and food deterioration. For seafood and oysters more specifically, maintaining a low temperature is an important method of food preservation in order to retain freshness of the product without compromising flavour or composition. (Lesson 5, Lesson 11.1)
The Food and Drug Regulations (FDA) states that perishable foods that can support the growth of disease-causing microorganisms must be stored at temperatures of 4°C and below, as refrigeration temperatures inhibit the growth of most disease-causing microorganisms. However, some microbial growth such as that done by psychotropic microorganisms prefer refrigeration temperatures, and so it should be noted that refrigeration storage temperatures can only extend the life and quality of foods for so long (Lesson 7). Inadequate storage and cooling of oysters can allow pathogens to grow exponentially which has the potential to cause a food-borne disease incident and/or outbreak (Lesson 12.8). Depending on where they’ve come from and their harvest date, oysters can last up to 2-3 weeks if stored properly; however, it is recommended that they are consumed within their first week for optimal flavor, moisture, texture, and overall quality of product. Oysters can be considered perishable foods with a shelf life of less than 60 days. Their spoilage is predominantly due to microbial growth, as is common with perishable foods (Lesson 5).
3. What are the ways that you determine food quality and freshness of ingredients, specifically in seafood, such as oysters?
Smell, taste, touch, and flavor are some of the indications the interviewee seeks for when determining the freshness and quality of food. If seafood is spoiled, one can easily identify through the distinct pungent, fishy odor. In Lesson 3.2, we learned that there are many sensory factors used to evaluate the quality of food. It appears the aroma factor plays a huge role for selecting high quality seafood. Before serving fresh oysters to guest’s, chefs would carefully shuck the oysters and inspect every single piece to ensure that they are safe to consume.
4. With working in a restaurant and serving people food, there is the unfortunate chance to make someone sick, for example, when dealing with guests and their allergies. What do you do to ensure the guest’s safety?
With the top allergies in mind, Vancouver Fish Co generally create their menus that use ingredients that are acceptable to the general public and avoid including common allergens in every dish. (i.e., not putting nuts on every salad in case there is a nut allergy). Aside from using diverse ingredients, they also pay attention to the cooking processes. They have three deep fryers: two function as traditional deep fryers (green handles) and one fryer that functions as a gluten-free fryer (orange handles; for plates such as gluten free fish & chips). However, there are many different types of allergies, some of which are less common and therefore not as readily anticipated and avoidable. As a seafood-focused restaurant, it is impossible to accommodate a shellfish allergy due to the availability of shellfish and seafood throughout the restaurant. Despite putting in the effort to avoid any cross-contamination by cooks, there is always the risk of human error. Therefore, upon taking orders, employers would clearly communicate to the guest with allergies that although the dish can be prepared with their allergies and concerns in mind, it cannot be guaranteed that it hasn’t come into contact with the allergen. Oysters are included in Canada’s Top Ten Priority Food Allergens list as a part of the crustaceans and molluscs category (Lesson 2.2.1.3). Foodallergycanada.ca provides plenty of tips to follow when dining out with a shellfish allergy, including communicating the allergy with the staff at the restaurant, and potentially eating beforehand if the particular restaurant chosen may not be able to accommodate the allergy with enough confidence for the guest to feel safe. The website also mentions that cross-contamination is a risk, and it is recommended that an epinephrine pen be carried just in case.
5. How much food is thrown out at the end of the day? Are there actions taken to minimize the waste?
Seafood has a short shelf life, making it hard to manage, but this is even harder with COVID as it is impossible to guess what exactly customers are going to eat when they come in. Usually, about 35% of a given seafood is wasted during the butchering process as bones and waste are discarded prior to cooking. Besides this, her restaurant tries to use as much of the fish as possible. Waste is much higher and likely in weeks when new menus are being tried and tested and practiced by their chefs.
6. Have any cooking processes/preservation methods changed in your kitchen since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic? And are there any additives, processes or preservations methods that you find concerning?
All additives should be used in moderation. Restaurants that cook duck use a lot of nitrates but as long as this isn't done unnecessarily it should be fine for consumption. In this context, the dose response is key in ensuring that the food is good for consumption as discussed in Lesson 12.2. Alternative additives could used such as the old school way of using salt & sugar or vinegar & citrus as preservatives and hence agents that delay the onset of food spoilage as learnt in Lesson 4.7.
7. Do the methods of food storage/preservation, consumer trend and government regulation shape menu plannings?
Our menus planning is made in conjunction with storage facilities, how fast products will be rotated, stored and used up. We also have to follow government regulation such as temperature checks twice a day to ensure food is always at its best quality as introduced to us in Lesson 4.1 and further explained in Lesson 7.3 regarding the primary importance of stable temperatures.
As for consumer trends, it definitely plays a huge role in menu planning. Using avocado toast as an example, it has been a trend on social media platforms. In order to appeal to customers, menus should always be on top of consumer trends. The success of a food product highly depends on the reaction and feedback coming from guests.
8. What else can you say about your career in the food industry?
Summer got into cooking because it was fun, spontaneous and nurturing. However, she stayed out of baking because of the science that went into its processing like humidity, temperature and yeast control (Lesson 9.3). Summer enjoys the culinary art aspects of cooking. However, she finds that there are a lot of scientific components to cooking that aren't always obviously apparent.
Five Points-of-Interest Observed on the Site
1. Storage organization to ensure food safety
- Fresh seafood are placed above meat, cooked food stored above raw food, nuts are grouped together
- Proper stacking order to prevent cross-contamination
- Organized and easily accessiblity
2. Storage for food prepared in-house
- Stored in clear plastic containers with lid to prevent potential rodent and insects contamination, as well as keep products free by minimizing oxidation
- Labels also have the date they were prepared to regulate freshness of the product Marked labels to help to identify the product, which is essential to prevent misuse of ingredients that may affect customers with allergies
3. Refrigeration/cool storage for fresh oysters
- Storage temperature is below 4oC to prevent the potential growth of microorganisms
- Covered with a damp towel to prevent direct contact with the cool air velocity, which can cause dehydration and kill the oysters, spoiling them
4. Multiple deep fryers
- 2 Regular and 1 Gluten Free deep fryers to accommodate guests’ with specific requests
- Although gluten is not listed as top 10 allergen in Canada, it may cause sensitivity to the population
- There is currently a consumer trend to avoid ingesting gluten, therefore the addition of a gluten-free fryer satisfies a common customer request
5. Food Preservation Methods to meet the standards of Food and Drug Regulations
- Food and Drug Regulation manual is accessible to employer and CFIA inspectors
- Cooling and freezing temperature are closely monitored to maintain the freshness and safety of seafood
Potential Exam Question
Which one is NOT a regulated food storage safety procedure?
i) storing meat above seafood
ii) storing containers of each nut variety together
iii) storing everything up off the floor
Answer:
Storing meat above seafood is INCORRECT.
Seafood should be stored above meat according to food storage regulations.
An explanation why your question should be on the final exam:
This question should be on the final exam because we learned about food preservation methods in class but focused less on food storage and the reasons behind it. This question applies to everyone because we all have connections to food storage whether it be in our own fridges/pantries or in restaurants. It is important to know the storage techniques behind the food we eat.