Creative Salmon is sent to kitchens all over North America and Japan, but California is one of their most popular markets.
Diane Sturla, the executive chef at Relish Kitchen + Drink in Gilroy, California—a bedroom community with many of the residents working and commuting to Silicon Valley—is one of Creative’s California-based customers.
“Relish is an upscale, casual restaurant that specializes in sustainable, seasonal, local, organic (whenever possible) cuisine,” says Diane. The thoughtful and delicious food they prepare resonates with the locals.
While Diane always loved to cook, her sustainable approach was inspired by a meal she had on a trip to Northern Michigan: Venison Swiss steak cooked in a cast iron, wood-burning oven.
“I wanted to find out why it was so much better than any venison I’d had in California. I started learning about the connection between what the animal ate and how it was raised to the quality of the end product.”
Creative Salmon served with risotto, lemon/citrus beurre blanc, and prawns.
That’s why Diane chooses to put Creative Salmon in her dishes. “The sustainability, commitment to the quality of the ingredient, organic certification, and the fact that it’s a Pacific farmed fish was perfect for our menu.”
When Diane prepares Creative Salmon for Relish’s customers, she keeps it simple.
“The salmon is so good that I try not to over complicate it,” she says. “My favourite way to serve it is with risotto and a lemon/citrus beurre blanc, which is how I’m serving it now, along with some local organic purple and white cauliflower, broccoli and carrots, and a quarter of a local artichoke. I use the trim for blackened salmon tacos. If I get a whole fish, I save the bones for fish stock that I use in my cioppino. It’s really such a versatile fish.”
And since Creative Salmon is available fresh year-round, it’s got a permanent spot on the menu, which can sometimes surprise Relish’s customers.
“I recently had an argument with a customer. He was insisting that because it wasn’t salmon season there was no way he was going to eat my food. He threatened to leave the restaurant without trying it. Once I told him about Creative Salmon, the organic certification, and the location in the Pacific Ocean where the Salmon is native, he tried it. He loved it and has come back twice to order it again.”
To learn more about Relish Kitchen + Drink, visit https://www.relishkd.net.
