Eat New England

Is kelp the new kale? To find out more about the superfood sea vegetable, I hit the road and headed to Maine to interview Atlantic Sea Farms CEO Briana Warner. Atlantic Sea Farms partners with the state’s fisherman to cultivate kelp, and then processes it into things like smoothie cubes and seaweed salad to distribute to restaurants, markets and home kitchens. Before taking the leadership role at Atlantic Sea Farms in 2018, Bri served several tours in the U.S. Foreign Service, opened and sold a wholesale bakery in Portland, and worked as economic development director of a non-profit focused on sustaining island communities in Maine and elsewhere. In this episode, she discusses how her background led her to seaweed, explains why we should be eating more locally harvested kelp, and delves into the fascinating details of how it’s grown.

No conversation about Providence’s culinary scene would be complete without mentioning chef James Mark, the owner of two of Providence’s buzziest restaurants, North and Big King. In this candid interview, Mark shares how he got his start working in restaurants as a teenager in New Jersey; talks about what motivated him to open North; discusses why the industry is built on exploitation; explains why he’s ambivalent about the James Beard Awards; and more.

Kate Masury, program director of Eating with the Ecosystem, shares how seafood lovers can eat well while also supporting New England's marine ecosystems.