Chef Ned Bell cycled across Canada for sustainable seafood. We caught up with him in Pictou, NS to find out why
Ned Bell is the executive chef at the YEW Seafood + Bar in the Four Seasons Hotel in Vancouver. This summer he biked across the country in 10 weeks to raise awareness for sustainable seafood and generate support for his petition to designate March 18 as Sustainable Seafood Day. His cross-country ride, called Chefs for Oceans, featured dozens of meals prepared by more than 100 chefs for thousands of lucky diners in cities including St. John’s, Halifax, Charlottetown and Saint John. Saltscapes spoke to Bell about his cause and his journey.
Q Of all the possible food-related causes, why did you choose seafood?
A It’s about chefs as a conduit or voice because of a specific expertise or trust we have with our guests. You’d be hard-pressed to find a chef worth their salt these days who isn’t passionate about where the food they serve comes from.
Q And that passion extends to sustainable seafood?
A Seafood is a major void in that conversation—it’s difficult to have that connection to a fisherman for a people who don’t live on the coast. Programs like Ocean Wise, Sea Choice and, potentially, a National Sustainable Seafood Day can highlight the fishermen working hard on the East and West Coasts.
Q Why did you choose a cycling tour to raise awareness?
A I thought people might pay more attention to a chef riding across the country. I could have driven and done a hundred events, but I wanted to throw caution to the wind, jump on a bike and [take on] the physical challenge of 8,000 kilometres.
Q What role do you play at the events you’re hosting along the way?
A At every event, I’ll cook something. I want to get my hands dirty in the kitchen—that’s the whole point. It’s not Ned for Oceans, it’s Chefs for Oceans. It’s about gathering the local community of chefs, celebrating what they’re doing and getting in the kitchen with them.
Q The opening dinner in St. John’s was your first event. What was it like?
A The launch event in Newfoundland on Canada Day was extraordinary. The fishing industry was the birth of our country. It’s what brought the original settlers here, the abundance of seafood.
Q What’s your message to politicians, to Canadians, to the world?
A It’s not just about the waterways. It’s also about parks and wilderness, healthy mind, body and spirit. That’s why I think so many people are supportive of my journey. This is a global problem.
Q You seem to have a lot of passion for this issue. Why?
A I have this wobbly soapbox I can stand on and spread a message through my position as executive chef of a major hotel chain. Why not me, why not now?