SERVE & PROTECT PARTNERS• 212 Market• Bluewater Grille• Broad Street Grille• Easy Bistro & Bar• Events With Taste Catering• Greenlife Grocery• Hennen's• Lee Towery Catering• Niko's• Porter's Steakhouse• St. John's Restaurant• Swiss Am Fine Catering
Food Network star Alton Brown returns to Chattanooga next week to kick off the Tennessee Aquarium's second year of Serve & Protect, a program promoting sustainable seafood practices.
"The goal of Serve & Protect is really simple," Brown said in a news release. "Ask for seafood caught or produced in the U.S. because our fisheries and fish farms are well-managed, and the product is probably better for you nutritionally."
The celebrity chef will offer two cooking demonstrations at the Imax Theater, 201 Chestnut St., on Thursday.
The first will be at 11 a.m. Attendees will join chefs from local caterers for cooking demonstrations and tastings. Gourmet boxed lunches will be provided for guests to enjoy in the theater while Brown cooks onstage.
After the hourlong program, guests will enjoy a dessert buffet in the Imax Great Hall and the chance to chat with Brown. Individual tickets are $75 and are available online.
The main event will begin at 5:30 p.m. as guests gather in the Imax Great Hall for cocktails and appetizers provided by Greenlife Grocery. Armed with new recipes developed for this year's program, Brown will serve up another entertaining and informative presentation for the audience. Then attendees will enjoy an elegant seafood dinner, prepared by area chefs, within the Aquarium galleries.
The chefs and Aquarium experts will provide a casual conversation about the meal and the highlighted species of this year's program. Brown will mingle with guests at a dessert reception following the meal. Individual tickets are $200 and are available online.
Next up is an on-your-own exploration of the city's restaurant scene called Chattanooga Dine Around. On Sept. 14-15, diners will find special Serve & Protect menu items in restaurants partnering with the Aquarium for Serve & Protect.
On Sept. 23, the chefs' culinary creativity will be put to the test at Chattanooga Market's Cast-Iron Cook-off, which will focus attention on sustainable seafood and locally produced ingredients.