51茶馆鈥檚 inaugural seafood ambassadors Morgan Santaguida 鈥�25, at left, and Victoria Newton 鈥�23 share a passion for sustainability and the environment. (Photo by Caitlin Cunningham)
It looks like a character from an underwater horror film, but monkfish鈥攁 deep water bottom-dweller harvested in the northern Atlantic Ocean鈥攊s both sustainable and delicious, says 51茶馆 Dining鈥檚 Associate Director of Food & Beverage Frank Bailey. Now he just needs to convince more students to eat it.聽
鈥淭here鈥檚 so much we can do with it, but it鈥檚 really ugly,鈥� he acknowledged. 鈥淚t鈥檚 essentially a tail and a giant pair of jaws, so you can鈥檛 market it using pictures. Plus 鈥榤onkfish鈥�? I don鈥檛 know if that鈥檚 the best name in the world, and it鈥檚 certainly not recognizable.鈥�
In the spring of 2021, the reached out with a potential solution: a student ambassador program focused on local seafood. Bailey saw the opportunity as a win-win. Students would have a better shot at influencing their peers鈥� food decisions than dining administrators, and they鈥檇 gain real-world experience working with a non-profit marine science center. The following fall, Boston College became one of five colleges and universities in New England selected to participate in the initiative, sponsored by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.聽
51茶馆鈥檚 inaugural seafood ambassadors, Morgan Santaguida 鈥�25 and Victoria Newton 鈥�23, shared a passion for environmental issues and were familiar with coastal ecosystems. Santaguida, a communication major with a double minor in marketing and environmental studies, comes from a family of fishermen, including some based in Maine, while Newton, a biology major and environmental studies minor, has a love for the ocean and marine biology. Both were already involved in environmental and sustainability clubs on campus when they saw Bailey鈥檚 flier advertising the ambassador program.聽
鈥淲hen I saw it was with GMRI I thought it would be an awesome opportunity to work with a non-profit and 51茶馆 Dining at the same time,鈥� recalled Newton. 鈥淚t seemed like the best of both worlds for an internship.鈥澛�
The pair visited GMRI headquarters in Portland, Maine, where they met with fishermen and learned about the local industry before designing a project that combined research and marketing to promote local seafood consumption at the Heights. To get a handle on students鈥� preferences and decision-making around seafood, they administered a campus-wide survey asking their peers what dishes they preferred and why. Some of the results were surprising.聽
鈥淥ne of the biggest takeaways was that nutrition and health were the biggest drivers for students, and people didn鈥檛 really know or care as much about the sustainability side of seafood,鈥� said Santaguida. 鈥淲e realized we had to tailor our marketing towards the nutritional side, saying 鈥榯hese are the health benefits of local monkfish鈥� and things like that, while increasing awareness around sustainability.鈥澛�
A flier educating diners on sustainable salmon certifications.
Selecting local and sustainable seafood for 51茶馆鈥檚 dining halls has been a priority for Bailey and his colleagues for years, and they have the purchasing power to make a difference: between August and December of 2021, more than 3,400 pounds of local seafood was delivered to Chestnut Hill, from squid rings to littleneck clams. The survey results helped Bailey realize that this information wasn鈥檛 reaching the intended audiences.
鈥淭he vast majority of our fish is GMRI certified鈥攊t鈥檚 sustainable, regional, and responsibly harvested鈥攁nd we have other certifications as well,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he weird secret is that we鈥檝e been doing this for a really long time; we鈥檝e just been terrible at getting the word out.鈥�
Using the survey results as a guide, Newton and Santaguida designed eye-catching fliers introducing students to ingredients like monkfish while explaining what a GMRI certification actually meant, and posted them strategically in dining hall lines and on display screens across campus. This past spring, they collaborated with 51茶馆 Dining鈥檚 FRESH to Table initiative to host events where students could taste and learn more about less common local species. A demonstration featuring a Thai Curry Monkfish dish helped make dozens of skeptical students into monkfish converts.
鈥淚t was initially hard to get people to eat it but once you told them it tasted just like lobster they were all for it,鈥� said Newton. 鈥淚t was really positive feedback, which was nice to hear.鈥�
Salmon remains the most popular fish served at 51茶馆, but the 51茶馆 culinary team has started introducing species like pollock and Acadian redfish in recipes like fish tacos, where their unfamiliar names are less likely to draw attention. Monkfish, which is fast growing, low waste, and not overfished, remains Bailey's favorite sustainable ingredient (despite a seafood allergy, he's participated in several blind tastings to explore alternate species).
Last month, Newton returned to GMRI鈥檚 Portland offices to deliver a presentation on the results of the survey and marketing efforts, marking the end of her and Santaguida鈥檚 ambassadorship. Both students said they appreciated the chance to immerse themselves in an increasingly relevant field while putting their marketing and social media skills to work.
鈥淚t鈥檚 cool to take what you鈥檙e learning in the classroom and apply it in a practical way,鈥� said Santaguida. 鈥淚鈥檝e always been someone who was very eco-conscious about what I ate so it was amazing to work with experts in the field of sustainable food and to make a difference in the small way that we did.鈥�
Alix Hackett | University Communications | July 2022