Blue Foods Forum: Seafaring Speakeasy
Sunday, February 1, 5-9pm, The Redd, Portland, Oregon - ALL AGES
Kick off Winter Waters and the Blue Foods Forum at the Seafaring Speakeasy. Get ready to drift through a kelp forest of flavors, where Oregon’s coastal bounty takes center stage. This event is open to anyone and everyone who loves Oregon seafood.
Your ticket allows you 5 bites and a beverage (alcoholic or NA) - and you can buy more a la carte
The evening is designed to inspire, delight, and invite connection inside a carefully curated ocean atmosphere. Throughout the night, you’ll encounter ocean-inspired installations, thoughtfully crafted bites, and conversations that spark possibility — connecting you with scientists, investors, food producers, educators, fishermen, artisans, and chefs redefining what it means to steward Oregon’s economy through food and ocean resources.
Guests will sample an array of creative drinks and Oregon-caught seafood prepared by chefs from across the state including:
Maylin Chávez of Nácar Merroir y Terroir
Chef Maylin Chávez will serve Netarts oysters along with a dish highlighting Oregon-caught blackcod.
Chef Maylin is a passionate advocate for sustainable seafood and ocean health, drawing inspiration from her culinary roots in Baja and the United States. Known for blending Pacific Northwest flavors with Baja traditions, her work has been featured by Bon Appétit, Sunset Magazine, and The Food Network. Renowned as a pioneer in the sustainable aquatic food industry, Chef Maylin Chávez is highly sought after by prestigious blue food brands to passionately advocate for and promote their products.
Jack Strong of Allison Inn with Chef Patrick Clarke and the culinary and tribal students from Siletz Valley School
Chef Jack Strong is the chef at The Allison and a proud member of the Siletz Tribe, whose culinary work is deeply informed by Indigenous heritage, seasonality, and place. His cooking blends refined technique with ancestral inspiration, highlighting native ingredients, traditional food ways, and thoughtful storytelling through food.
Chef Patrick Clarke, Culinary Director at Siletz Valley School
Chef Patrick Clarke serves as the Culinary Director for the Siletz Valley School, where he leads an innovative program that blends classical French technique with Indigenous food traditions rooted in the local region. His approach to culinary education emphasizes experiential learning, teaching students to understand food from its source to the plate.
Recognized for his impact and leadership, Chef Clarke was named the Small School Association’s 2025 Teacher of the Year,
This collaborative culinary team will present a dish highlighting tribal-caught salmon sourced from 7 Waters Sovereign Foods.
Jacob Harth formerly of Erizo and Nevør Shellfish Farms
Chef Jacob Harth places strong emphasis on ingredients gathered from the sea, valuing traceability, seasonality, and ethical sourcing. His experience with commercially foraged shellfish and other unique wild foods informs a cooking style that highlights natural flavors while honoring the labor and knowledge behind each ingredient. Those who know him from Nevør Shellfish should be excited to experience another ocean delicacy from Jacob!
Chef Joseph Papas of Ok Omens
Chef Joseph Papas Chef Joseph Papas is the Executive Chef at Ok Omens, where he leads the kitchen in crafting innovative, seasonal menus that highlight fresh, high-quality ingredients. With over a decade of experience in fine dining and contemporary cuisine, he has honed his skills in top kitchens across the U.S., earning a reputation for creativity, precision, and transforming simple ingredients into memorable dishes.
Alongside Netarts oysters served with finger lime and a seaweed gelee, Chefs Jacob and Joseph will prepare purple sea urchin with dulse and sansho pepper, served in the shell.
This dish will be utilizing uni from dive-collected sea urchins sourced from Newport’s OoNee Sea Urchin Ranch.
Kari Shaughnessy of Hayward
Kari will be serving Dungeness crab onigiri with Oregon dulse and nori seaweed.
Chef Kari Shaughnessy is the visionary force behind Hayward, the acclaimed restaurant in Oregon’s Willamette Valley known for its boundary-pushing take on “New Northwest” cuisine. Kari’s work has earned national recognition from the James Beard Foundation, with Hayward named a semifinalist for Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific and previously receiving attention as one of the country’s standout new dining destinations.
Chef U'ilaniku'ulei Vele of Departure
Chef U’i will be serving a kombu cured Oregon rockfish with yuzu, daikon, dulse seaweed, and nori.
Chef U'ilaniku'ulei Vele brings a bold, culturally rich vision to the kitchen at Departure Restaurant & Lounge, the acclaimed pan-Asian rooftop destination atop The Nines hotel in downtown Portland. Known for its inventive fusion of Northwest ingredients with dynamic flavors from across East and Southeast Asia, Departure’s menu reflects Chef U’i’s deep commitment to community, creativity, and culinary excellence.
Featured Wineries
The following wineries will be at the Seafaring Speakeasy pouring tastings and glasses, with bottles available to purchase and take home.
Lundeen Wines
Lundeen Wines is a family owned winery crafting still and sparkling wines from sustainably farmed Willamette Valley vineyards. Known for balance, precision, and a standout sparkling wine program.
Pouring: Michael Lundeen, owner and winemaker
Joyful Noise Wine
Joyful Noise Wine produces small lot, single vineyard wines from the Willamette Valley and Red Mountain AVA. Celebrated for expressive Pinot Noir and a rare Dornfelder with a distinctive voice.
Pouring: Deven Morgenstern, owner and winemaker
Cooper Mountain Vineyards
Cooper Mountain Vineyards is a family owned leader in certified organic and biodynamic winemaking in Oregon. Their wines reflect long term stewardship, healthy soils, and classic Willamette Valley varieties.
Pouring: Barbara Gross, Operations Director
Featured Artists
Oriana is a photographer and marine scientist. Her work opens dialogues about our relationship with the changing biodiversity of the ocean using traditional and alternative photo processes. She holds an M.A.S. from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and a B.A. from Princeton University. Her work has been published by Smithsonian Magazine, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and exhibited at the Oceanside Museum of Art, the Center for Fine Art Photography, and the San Diego Public Library.
This past year she was the Artist-in-Residence at OSU’s Hatfield Marine Science Center, where she’s collaborating with researchers to create the Cascadia Coast Exposures Exhibit. We’re so excited that some of the silk sun prints she made here will be featured at the Speakeasy!
Jasmine is a Seattle-based, self-taught oil painter, cold-water scuba diver, and underwater photographer represented by the SAM Gallery in the Seattle Art Museum. Drawing from her background in marine science and environmental justice, her work is rooted in the kelp forests of the Salish Sea. Her paintings explore fear, curiosity, and our relationship with the darker places of the ocean, and ourselves. We’re so excited to have her work featured at the Blue Foods Forum Seafaring Symposium on February 1, including this holographic kelp forest installation!!
KEX Portland (near the Blue Foods Forum venue in Portland) is offering 20% off rooms for Blue Foods Forum attendees 1/30 - 2/6. Use the code WATERS2026 when booking.
Hosted by Winter Waters and the Oregon Ocean Cluster in close partnership with Ecotrust, Oregon Kelp Alliance, Oregon State University’s Food Labs and many other friends, this community-building event inspired lively dialogues about interconnected ecosystems, circular economies, and complex food supply chains. Thank you to Travel Oregon, for your support.
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