It was a perfect perch. I was folded comfortably into a deck chair at The Reluctant Fisherman a while back, surrounded by blue skies and cotton candy whisps of white, watching the fleet turn the corner of the breakwater. As I thought about the consumers who seek out and purchase our salmon, I couldn't help but wish that they could see what I saw. Last week, for five days – and over 65 hours – a handful of lucky visitors did just that.
Each year the Copper River Prince William Sound Marketing Association (CRPWSMA) puts on what is called a "media tour". Rather than attempting to reach 300 million consumers down south through the usual avenues of ads, a select group of food writers comes to Cordova, where they can see and experience the fishery first-hand. Having only recently come aboard CRPWSMA I didn't choose the Class of '13 – but boy am I glad they chose us!
The moment Ron Ruggless of Nation's Restaurant News, Rebecca and Fred Gerendasy of Cooking Up a Story, Tara Desmond of Crumbs on My Keyboard, Nick Davidson of Outside Magazine and Chef Nathan Lyon of Food Network fame stepped off Flight 66, I knew we were in for the tour of a lifetime. The easiest column I ever put together is a function of the feedback received via email this morning; this month I step aside and let the real writers do the work!
To read the rest of the story, please go to: Cordova Times