Michael Cimarusti
Chef/Owner of Providence and Connie and Ted's
Los Angeles, California

Twitter: @cimarustila

Rep. Adam B. Schiff, CA-28
Rep. Henry A. Waxman, CA-33
Rep. Xavier Becerra, CA-34

Chefs Boot Camp alum, September 2013
Areas of interest: sustainability, sustainable seafood and fishing methods

"With so much here–wild salmon, harpooned swordfish, beautiful Alaskan halibut–why would you buy anything that’s not wild or from our own backyard?"

Michael Cimarusti believes that the first and most important criteria for creating a dish is whether the ingredients are sustainable. He is a devout advocate for sustainable seafood fishing and consumption, and does not serve blue-fin tuna in his restaurants because of the difficulty in determining where the fish was caught and whether it was caught using sustainable fishing methods. Michael participated in the Blue Ribbon task force, part of the Seafood Watch program at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. This conference aligns culinary leaders with the goal of improving the seafood industry. He works closely with the aquarium on marine life conservation and reforming our current fishing and fishery systems.

Organized affiliations: Blue Ribbon Task Force and Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch