RECAP: Blue Foods Forum 2025
February 18th-21st, 2025 — Portland, OR
In February 2025, Oregon’s first Blue Foods Forum brought together an extraordinary mix of chefs, economists, artisans, food innovators, marine scientists and ocean advocates for three days of hands-on industry collaboration and culinary inspiration.
Hosted by 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. Adopting an “unconference” model and approach allowed us to creatively explore how redefining the use and restoration of our ocean resources can ignite a better future for all.
Day 1: The Blue Foods Forum kicked off at Portland’s Redd East event venue with an industry-focused Seafare Symposium — a full day of active learning, conversation, and delicious inspiration centered around Oregon’s ocean foods. The Symposium invited chefs, producers, educators, and food system innovators to imagine what a more connected, sustainable, and locally rooted blue food future could look like. Live seafood butchery demos, roundtable discussions, lightning talks and structured networking opportunities set the stage for rich dialogues and goal-setting within the group. Followed by an early evening Seaweed + Oyster Social - with tasty seaweed cocktails and mocktails by Cindy Capparrelli of Portland Bitters Project, oysters by Chef Maylin Chavez, and additional seafoodie bites prepared by the amazing Siletz Valley High School student culinary team - the first day of the Forum set a tone of curiosity, hope and excitement for the future of our food systems.
See the full event recap and more photos from the Seafare Symposium HERE.
Day 2: On February 19, artists, makers, and ocean enthusiasts gathered at Portland’s premier maker space, Art Design Xchange - ADX - for an evening of creativity, connection, and coastal inspiration. The Ocean Art! Xperience invited participants to explore the intersection of art, food, and sustainability through three hands-on workshops — crafting live-edge walnut “seacuterie” boards with Abby Ruston, creating fish-skin leather journals with Jessica Werner, and carving ocean-inspired linocuts with Sarah Sullivan. As the night flowed into shared snacks and conversation, the space filled with the spirit of community and creativity — a reminder that caring for our oceans begins with what we make, share, and imagine together.
Day 3: The Blue Foods Forum culminated with a curated food-festival style Seafaring Speakeasy at Union Pine on February 20. This dynamic culinary showcase, led by some of Oregon’s most creative culinary leaders, was designed to deepen connections and uplift blue food harvesters, makers, and our vibrant regional food and beverage economy. The evening also featured screenings of short films produced by Elevation 0m, a marine touch tank of live sea urchins, and fireside chats with fun-loving ocean advocates including Chef Andre Uribe of Longevity Kitchen, Alanna Kieffer of Shifting Tides NW and Tom Calvanese of the Oregon Mariculture Collaborative.
Venue locations across Portland’s bustling SE Industrial District allowed easy venturing between events to take in the city’s iconic culinary scene, and Winter Waters menu specials. Long-standing Winter Waters partner, KEX hotel offered a special lodging discount, and in-house restaurant Pacific Standard - with its modern West Coast drinking and dining hall vibes - provided a perfect location for local and international guests to enjoy tasty delicacies like PNW oysters, and mingle at impromptu gatherings and working sessions between the official event itinerary.
These events are a joyful reminder of why Winter Waters was created: to connect across sectors and generations, to learn from the ocean, and to build the future of good food together. The Blue Foods Forum is an invitation to think bigger, and take action. To root innovation in place, people, and purpose. Together, we can grow a movement that values our waters, our working coastlines, and the communities that sustain them.
A portion of event proceeds went to support the work of the Oregon Kelp Alliance, and their goal to restore west coast native kelp forests.
Huge thanks to our sponsors and venue partners: Oregon Coast Visitors Association, Travel Oregon, Oregon Coastal Mariculture Collaborative, The Builders Initiative, Ecotrust, Art Design Xchange, and Union Pine for making the Blue Foods Forum possible!
