Culinary Arts, Gastronomy Alum Highlights Importance of Oft-Ignored Seafoods

As an alum of Boston University’s MA in Gastronomy and Certificate Program in the Culinary Arts, Claudia Catalano (MET’16) is well versed in the intersection between what we eat and what it means to our environment. In addition to running her own personal chef service, Wild Carrot, Catalano writes about food professionally, and in a recent piece she authored for Edible Boston, she examined the benefits posed by eschewing traditional New England sea-fare, like lobster and cod, for less conventional alternatives, like monkfish, mussels, and skate. It’s more sustainable for consumers to opt for a wider variety of seafood, Catalano explains, as it lessens the reliance on farm fishing and supports the efforts of local fisheries.

Of course, it helps that these underappreciated foods can still make for satisfying meals. Core Culinary Arts chef instructors Michael Leviton and Jeremy Sewall both lent their perspectives to Catalano’s story, offering recipes that can bring out the best in these neglected ingredients as well as help expand the palate.

By bringing to light these undervalued oceanic provisions, Catalano makes the case that changes in the way we source and consider what we eat could make a significant impact in the region.

“We export more local fish than we need to,” Sewall says. “Other countries value it more.”

With BU’s MA in Gastronomy and Certificate in Culinary Arts programs, students get the rare opportunity to blend the academic study of food’s role in the world with an applied, hands-on education in food preparation and technique. These dual lessons amplify, strengthen, and round out one’s expertise in cuisine, creating a pathway for any number of careers in food.