In Hurricane Sandy’s Aftermath, MIT Saves (Local Fisherman’s) Day

Written by Nicole Tocco on November 8, 2012in Community, Featured, Fish to Fork, News - 0 Comments

As Hurricane Sandy barreled toward the coast, businesses and entire cities shut down to brace themselves for what was to come. But college dining halls don’t have that luxury. College students are already “at home,” and – no matter the weather — need to be fed.

The Bon Appétit team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA, battled through the storm, despite the fact that public transportation in the greater Boston area was shut down. Workers and managers made their way as they could to campus to feed students, and then carpooled home at the end of a long day.

Close by on the Massachusetts coast, fishermen were also responding to the storm. The wholesaler Red’s Best represents approximately 10 independent fishermen, who pool their fish together to get their fresh seafood to buyers quickly and effectively through nontraditional channels, including farmers markets. As Simca Horwitz of the Massachusetts Farm to School Project, explained to me, before a big storm hits is often the best time for fishing – the stormy waters drive fish to predictable havens. Usually, after the storm passes the fishermen can sell their above average catch to their typical customers.

But the severity of Hurricane Sandy’s impact on the coast made this situation different. With roads closed and restaurants in the New York area shut down, the fishermen of Red’s Best had a lot of fish on their hands without anyone to sell it to.

Enter the Bon Appétit team at MIT. Continue…

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