Ready for Some Seafood

Although Meryl Streep didn’t take the Oscar for her role as Julia Child in Julie and Julia, I still felt the urge to pull out my Mastering the Art of French Cooking cookbook earlier this week (perhaps in an act of solidarity?). After taking my first stab at Julia Child’s beef bourguignonne and having a crock-pot full of it for the past couple of days, I am very ready for the International Boston Seafood Show and immersing myself in all things seafood.

IBSS never fails to disappoint with the enthusiasm for seafood, the number of vendors, new products and the old standbys I’ve come to rely on seeing every year. This year’s show should be no different. Advertised as North America’s largest seafood trade event, each year, 16,000 buyers and sellers from more than 90 countries, and more than 800 exhibitors gather in the home of the oldest continuously operated industrial and fishing port in the Western Hemisphere.

Seminars this year span across a variety of subjects including fishery issues, restaurant trends, food safety, value and the economy, and more. The overarching industry issue of seafood sustainability will be heavily covered at the show as well. I’m looking forward to attending “How the Economy is Changing Consumer Seafood Purchases,” and “Social Media Savvy for Seafood,” which is a new topic this year as technology and sites such as Facebook and Twitter – and blogs – have become ubiquitous as business tools throughout the industry.

And who wouldn’t be looking forward to seeing what types of new products will be out on the show floor this weekend and what new flavor trends are expected for the coming year – and more importantly – tasting them?

See you at the show, and as Julia Child would say, “Bon Appétit!”