Another chapter from the www.AmericatheBountiful.org Tour. We arrived at the docks in Charleston, SC (Wednesday, June 6th) to a warm welcome from fisherman, Mark Marhefka.
As we parked the RV at the dock, Mark said he wanted to take us all out to dinner at The Ordinary www.eattheordinary.com.
Neither the meal nor the restaurant turned out to be ordinary. It was prepared by the co-owner and highly regarded chef, Mike Lata. It was delicious and also actually inspiring.
Mark supplies locally caught fish to Mike’s restaurant and many other restaurants in the region. And Mike shows how fish that is neither endangered nor farm raised can be served as a gourmet meal that is also nutritious and sustainable.
Mark not only wants to make sure that sustainable fishing remains viable, he also wants locally grown fruits and vegetables farms to survive. The next day he took us to a food hub www.coastalconservationleague.org/projects/GrowFood/ where manager Sara Clow gave us a tour of their warehouse.
After that Mark took us to a local farm where he brings his fish waste to be composted and used to fertilize their crops.
That night Mark invited all of us to dinner with him, his wife and partner Kerry O'Malley Marhefkaand kids.
Mark, Kerry and his network of friend and colleagues want to a world where there will be fish to be caught and people to catch them AND raise food on the land in a similarly sustainable way. www.abundantseafood.com
-- Rick Hind, tour crew