newscast

White Boot Brigade marches on Bay Area

Louisiana shrimpers bring harvest, environmental message to California seafood lovers


NEW ORLEANS – A group of independent Louisiana fishing families, who have partnered with New Orleans based non-profit marketumbrella.org will haul their catch all the way from the Big Easy to the Bay Area this summer to introduce local chefs and seafood lovers to the pride of the Bayou State: fresh, wild-harvested Louisiana shrimp.

The White Boot Brigade, named for the distinctive rubber boots worn by the region's commercial fishers, will be in the San Francisco Bay area from June 7-10 to meet farmers market shoppers and restaurant patrons, host cooking demonstrations and pay their room and board at the elegant Sir Francis Drake Hotel with "Louisiana Gold," the flavorful brown shrimp that thrives in the state's coastal waters. The White Boot Brigade was started by marketumbrella.org in 2004 (known regionally for their open air Crescent City Farmers Markets held throughout New Orleans) to find new markets for shrimpers who still fished the bayous and coast harvesting seasonal delicacies.

Behind the traveling road show's fun, food and celebration, however, lies a serious mission. The Louisiana commercial fishing industry, dominated by small, family-run operations, is still reeling from the devastating 2005 hurricane season. While the fisheries have rebounded spectacularly, most of the Gulf Coast's shrimpers and fishers are struggling to rebuild their homes, lives and livelihoods.

The White Boot Brigade is helping these men and women reestablish an important part of Louisiana's vibrant culture while encouraging sustainable fishing practices with criteria that asks for ecologically sound and innovative fishing practices among those involved.

"The mostly small-scale, 'boutique' fishers who make up the White Boot Brigade represent a new wave of sustainability, in both ecological and economic terms," says Richard McCarthy, executive director of marketumbrella.org, a nonprofit, nongovernmental economic development organization that oversees the Crescent City Farmers Market, White Boot Brigade and other environmentally sustainable entrepreneurial projects. "These family businesses have a unique product, and we feel that San Francisco – like New Orleans, a port city with a rich culinary heritage – is the perfect place for them to show it off."

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita dealt a serious blow to Louisiana's coastline, eliminating more than 200 square miles of marshlands and decimating the state's commercial fishing fleet. But the storms' destruction also created an opportunity for shrimpers – whose way of life depends on coastal protection - to embrace new models of sustainable fishing practices.

To that end, marketumbrella.org recently launched Go Fish, program (funded by the Kellogg Foundation) that awards small grants to family shrimpers for the promotion of ecological sustainability, entrepreneurship and cultural preservation. Working in tandem with the White Boot Brigade and other strategic partners, Louisiana fishers are learning how to market their catch through direct contact with consumers, including restaurateurs and farmers market shoppers.

Consumers, in turn, have the satisfaction of knowing that their purchases help fishers preserve both the environment and a cultural tradition. Best of all, they get the freshest, tastiest seafood available. Louisiana brown shrimp are wild-harvested in small batches from shallow, brackish waters, where salt and fresh water meet to form what is colloquially known as "sweet" water. Brown shrimp, which take on a gold hue when cooked, have a delicate taste and texture prized by chefs and home cooks alike.

Come meet the White Boot Brigade at any of the following scheduled appearances:

Thursday, June 7
11 a.m.–3 p.m., Google Farmers Market: Cooking demonstrations, shrimp to buy and opportunity to meet the fishers.

Friday, June 8
Noon–2:30 p.m., Fish Restaurant in Sausalito: Fishermen's lunch featuring fresh Louisiana shrimp.

Saturday, June 9
1–3 p.m., Williams-Sonoma at Union Square, 340 Post Street: Cooking demonstration and orders for LA. shrimp with Nw Orleans-based Executive Chef Corbin Evans with the White Boot Brigade shrimpers.

1-6 p.m., Slow Food San Francisco's annual Golden Glass event: Chef Poppy Tooker and shrimpers Ray and Kay Brandhurst demonstrate how to prepare popular Louisiana shrimp dishes.

Sunday, June 10
5 p.m., Pizzaiolo, 5008 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland: Slow Food Berkeley hosts "A Sunday Supper: Louisiana shrimp, local beer and live music," with Louisiana shrimper Lance Nacio of AnnaMarie Seafood and Four Winds Seafood owners Kay and Ray Brandhurst, with South Plaquemines United Fisheries Cooperative members also on hand.

Additionally, local area restaurants such as Chez Panisse, Grand Café, Puccini & Pinetti, Blue Mermaid and Café Pescatore will feature White Boot Brigade shrimp on their menus throughout the week.