The Florida Keys’ “sea-to-table” culinary culture is to take center stage for food fans Wednesday, Jan. 30, when Outstanding in the Field presents a gourmet celebration of the island chain’s diverse indigenous seafood and enduring commercial fishing heritage.
Outstanding in the Field is to set its long table for approximately 200 people at water’s edge along the Historic Bama Shrimp Dock on Stock Island.
Located adjacent to Key West and rich in seafaring atmosphere, Stock Island is the hub of the Keys’ commercial fishing industry.
Outstanding in the Field is a renowned international organization that celebrates regional cuisines via open-air “pop-up” dinners in the places where ingredients for the menu are sourced. The event is hosted in collaboration with Stock Island’s popular Lost Kitchen Supper Club, Hogfish Bar & Grill, Roostica and Key West’s Thirsty Mermaid.
The multicourse menu, designed around fresh-caught local seafood, is to be prepared by chefs Martin Liz and Layla Barr of Lost Kitchen Supper Club, Jose Izquierdo of Hogfish Bar & Grill, Jose “Angel” Castro of Roostica and Ryan Shapiro of the Thirsty Mermaid.
Attendees are to gather at 1 p.m. for a predinner reception at Stock Island Lobster Co., acclaimed as the oldest fish house in the Florida Keys. Seventh-generation lobsterman Peter Bacle will share tales of the sea and the life of a Keys fisherman.
Guests will then be transported to the Historic Bama Shrimp Dock for a communal meal spotlighting the harvest of Keys lobstermen, shrimpers and commercial fishermen.
Founded in 1999 by chef/artist Jim Denevan, Outstanding in the Field has staged hundreds of table-to-farm dinners in all 50 U.S. states and 15 countries around the world, partnering with top regional chefs whose multicourse menus feature ingredients harvested from the scenery surrounding the table.
Tickets for the Stock Island dinner are priced at an all-inclusive $255 per person and reservations are required.
