Chefs for Oceans Founder Ned Bell Seeks Support for First Sustainable Seafood Cookbook

Chefs for Oceans Founder Ned Bell Seeks Support for First Sustainable Seafood Cookbook
Author

Chefs for Oceans

Release Date

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

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Vancouver, B.C. - Chef Ned Bell celebrates a change of positions that further aligns and empowers his Chefs for Oceans values and messaging to educate the public about sustainable seafood choices. Bell's latest role as Ocean Wise Executive Chef at the Vancouver Aquarium aligns his livelihood with his passions. Ned has dedicated his career to inspiring seafood lovers to be part of the solution for healthier lakes, rivers and oceans for future generations - including his three sons Fin, Max and Jet.

The next ambition for the sustainable seafood-driven chef is a series of cookbooks for the at-home chef dedicated to the many seafood choices North Americans are so fortunate to have ready access to. The first book, scheduled to hit shelves in the fall of 2017,focuses on the Pacific Ocean and will be co-authored by food and travel writer, Valerie Howes.

The National Magazine Award-nominated scribe is an ideal partner to join Bell in this effort to inspire culinary change. Howes has written about culinary travel, sustainable food systems, and people effecting change in their communities for publication such as: enRoute magazine, The Globe & Mail, The National Post, West Jet magazine, Toronto Life magazine, Canadian Living magazine, and Chatelaine magazine. The former Reader's Digest food editor won Gold for her blog, Open Kitchen, at the Canadian Society of Magazine Editors and Canadian Online Publishing Awards. Howes and Bell are purpose-driven in their advocacy for better awareness, understanding and choice of sustainable seafood.

"I am working on this cookbook because the health of our oceans, lakes and rivers are under threat and the fish that rely on these habitats are struggling to survive," expresses Bell. "We need better management, more sustainable fishing and aquaculture practices, and even more demand for seafood that is sourced responsibly. This cookbook is an invaluable tool for shifting seafood choices at home, cooking and eating with 'the real fast foods' plant based nutrient dense ingredients, healthy fish & seafoods."

To date, Bell has invested in the project with many of his own resources including significant time and dollars. He has VanCity to thank for generously providing seed money to get the project started and has done enough fundraising to get the project well off the ground. Bell now requires an additional $25k to meet necessary publishing and distribution costs to launch the book to its best advantage. Bell also plans to conduct a cross-Canada book tour to further spread message to Canadians on the importance of choosing ocean-friendly seafood.

To make fundraiser efforts easy, Chefs for Oceans has set up a GoFundMe page. By supporting the first cookbook, supporter will help create a tool that simplifies and energizes preparing ocean-friendly dishes at home. The cookbook will allow the home chef to expand their horizons in enjoying broader seafood choices and elevate their skills by learning with new seafood preparation techniques. Readers and supporters are also doing their part to protect threatened waterways and support the fish species and the livelihood of Canada's fishing communities.

As an activist and big dreamer, Ned's goals are always lofty and he thanks donors in advance for any support offered.

In hopes of inspiring some fundraising, Bell is offering the following incentives for the following donations:

Donations over $150 will receive a signed copy of the cookbook.
Donations over $500 will receive a signed copy of the cookbook & 2 VIP tickets to the closest book tour event near you.
Donations over $1,000 will receive ten signed copies of the cookbook.
Donations over $5,000 will receive dinner cooked by Ned Bell for 4 adults in your own home.

All proceeds and profits go to Chefs for Oceans and its initiatives, including building support for making March 18 National Sustainable Seafood Day in Canada. Donations can be made here.

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