Conservation
Right Bite Partners
Shedd is proud to partner with Chicago-area restaurants, retailers, caterers, purveyors and culinary schools to build demand for sustainable seafood in our marketplace. Right Bite partners receive staff training on seafood issues provided by Shedd experts. They also pledge to offer at least two sustainable seafood options at all times and, if applicable, to permanently remove at least one unsustainable choice from their menus or product inventories. Shedd is committed to helping our partners find and promote the highest quality and most environmentally friendly seafood available. Our partners know that we mean business when it comes to sustainable seafood, but equally as important, our partners know that we care about their business.
Are you a chef, retailer, or culinary instructor interested in joining our Right Bite program? E-mail rightbite@sheddaquarium.org for more information.
Restaurants
Big Jones
In the mood for Southern cuisine? Check out Big Jones, where executive chef Paul Fehribach delights diners with Laughing Bird shrimp and grits, domestic crawfish boudin fritters and sustainably harvested American red snapper from the Gulf of Mexico. Being total foodies at heart, the Right Bite team also loves the heirloom peas.
Bistro Campagne
Michelle Jost, director of sustainable practices, insists her recent dinner at Bistro Campagne, a cozy French restaurant in Lincoln Square, is the best meal she’s ever had. See for yourself! Check out this Hungry Hound episode from ABC7 Chicago, featuring the Right Bite team alongside owner Michael Altenberg.
Lockwood Restaurant & Bar
When Shedd staff gathered for dinner at Lockwood one night, we knew it’d perfect for Right Bite! Executive chef Phillip Foss is serious about sustainable seafood. Laughing Bird shrimp cocktail, Blue Hill Bay mussels and Lake Superior whitefish are just a few delights you’ll find on his amazing menu.
NAHA
If you're a foodie, you likely know of 2008 James Beard Award winner Carrie Nahabedian. She’s the owner of NAHA, a top Chicago restaurant and local icon for Chicago’s sustainability movement. NAHA's menu features sustainable choices like striped bass, lake whitefish and a Right Bite team favorite, arctic char.
Oceanique
ZAGAT ranks Oceanique as the premier seafood restaurant in the Chicago area. Lucky for us and our oceans, owner and executive chef Mark Grosz is just as passionate about healthy fisheries as his tasty entrees. Try one of Oceanique’s sustainable recipes at home: crispy fish ’n chips with parsley aioli.
Park Grill
The only thing better than dining on sustainable seafood is dining al fresco on sustainable seafood! Park Grill delivers just that. Home to Chicago’s largest al fresco dining area, The Plaza at Park Grill, the restaurant offers diners beautiful views of the city as they nibble on lobster mac and cheese, thyme roasted scallops and crispy whitefish.
Prairie Grass Cafe
Sarah Stegner, the James Beard Award-winning chef and owner of Prairie Grass Cafe, learned firsthand about sustainable seafood after spending time with fishermen on Kodiak Island, Alaska. Click here to read an Edible Chicago article that features Chef Sarah and the Right Bite team discussing sustainable seafood.
Reel Club
When we first heard about Reel Club, we were itching to bring the restaurant into our Right Bite family. Turns out the feeling was mutual! We were thrilled when Chef Mychael Bonner called us to learn more about sustainable seafood. For a “reely” good meal, try Reel Club’s cedar-planked whitefish.
Shaw’s Crab House (in Chicago and Schaumburg)
Right Bite has many fond memories of Shaw’s Crab House. It’s where Kassia Perpich, sustainable seafood coordinator, learned how to slurp oysters. It’s also where Michelle Jost, director of sustainable practices, goes to enjoy a bowl of her favorite clam chowder. Ask your server to see Shaw’s sustainable seafood menu!
Trattoria No. 10
For ocean-friendly fare with an Italian twist, check out Trattoria No. 10 in downtown Chicago! Executive chef Doug D’Avico has long been interested in sustainable seafood, often incorporating Shedd’s Fish of the Month selections into his menus. Right Bite staffers love the Alaska halibut with lemon-parsley butter sauce.
Uncommon Ground (on North Clark Street and West Devon Avenue)
Uncommon Ground is a favorite hangout of the Right Bite team. We love relaxing on the rooftop garden whenever we can! Plus, with executive chef Brian Millman offering dishes like crispy halibut fish tacos and grilled Rushing Waters trout, we recommend that a visit to Uncommon Ground not be an uncommon occurrence.
Wildfire (in Chicago, Oakbrook, Lincolnshire, Schaumburg and Glenview)
Wildfire’s executive chef partner, Joe Decker, insists that the macadamia nut-crusted Alaska halibut has its own devoted fan base. After one bite, the Right Bite team definitely understood why. With Wildfire's five Chicago-area locations, this delicious and sustainable entree is easily within reach.
Retailers
Dirk’s Fish & Gourmet Shop
Dirk Fucik, owner of Dirk’s Fish & Gourmet Shop, is one of the friendliest fishmongers in Chicago. When visiting, you’ll find the Right Bite team’s favorite scallop and roasted tomato soup, but you won’t find shark, eel, bluefin tuna, or orange roughy. Dirk no longer sells them due to environmental concerns.
Peapod LLC
Shopping for sustainable seafood is a breeze thanks to Shedd’s partnership with Peapod LLC, the country’s leading online grocer. Shoppers can type “Shedd approved” into Peapod’s search field to be taken to a virtual grocery “aisle” featuring sustainable seafood products selected by the Right Bite team.
Whole Foods Market
With a Whole Foods Market located just a few blocks from Shedd, the Right Bite team often shops there to satisfy our cravings and hang out with the friendly seafood staff! We’re also excited that Whole Foods Market recently joined us in developing our Fish of the Month initiative.
Caterers
City Provisions
The Right Bite team first met City Provisions owner Cleetus Friedman at one of his delicious supper clubs. After spending just five minutes with Cleetus, his passion for sustainability was obvious. Hear Cleetus and the Right Bite team enthusiastically chat about sustainable seafood in the Chicago Public Radio segment, Eating Sustainable Seafood in Chicago.
Hel’s Kitchen
Not to be confused with Gordon Ramsay’s dramatic cooking show, this Hel’s Kitchen is one of the greenest caterers around! Michelle Jost, director of sustainable practices, selected Hel’s to cater her upcoming wedding, thanks to their commitment to serve Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)-certified seafood whenever possible.
Food for Thought
We suspected that the food service provider for the Adler Planetarium, Food for Thought, was out of this world. Our suspicions proved correct! Try one of Executive Chef Chris Opper’s delicious and sustainable recipes, aji panca pan-fried farm-raised catfish with yellow tomato and sweet potato.
Monogramme Events & Catering
Chef Melissa Graham of Monogramme Events & Catering has an especially soft spot for sustainable seafood. As a child on Long Island, she enjoyed her mother’s homemade clam chowder. Create your own seafood memories by trying Melissa’s whitefish diablo with fennel-olive relish.
Purveyors
Fortune Fish Company
In 2007, Fortune Fish Company launched its sustainability initiative in partnership with Shedd. The company highlights a sustainable seafood every two months. For every pound of that fish sold, Fortune donates a portion of the revenue to not-for-profit conservation organizations. Fortune is also a Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)-certified purveyor.
The Plitt Company
The Plitt Company is the first purveyor in Chicago to achieve Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Chain of Custody certification. In 2008 the company won a prestigious Seafood Champion Award for its sustainability efforts, which includes improving Gulf of Mexico red snapper management and supporting fishing families and cooperatives in Alaska.
Seafood Merchants
The Right Bite team was thrilled to receive a call from Seafood Merchants in 2008. They had been hearing concerns about seafood sustainability from their customers. Within weeks of our connection, Seafood Merchants began the process to become a Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)-certified purveyor.
Supreme Lobster
Kassia Perpich, sustainable seafood coordinator, insists her workday isn’t complete without a call from Supreme Lobster sales rep Carl Galvan (a.k.a. Chicago Fish Dude), who is full of great ideas for promoting sustainability. Check out Carl and the Right Bite team in this recent podcast about seafood in Chicago.
Culinary Schools
Chicago Public Schools – Culinary and Hospitality Arts Program
Kendall College
Greater Chicago Food Depository – Chicago’s Community Kitchens
Lexington College
Robert Morris University
Other Friends
61st Street Farmers Market, Aquaranch, Chefs Collaborative, Chicago's Downtown Farmstand, ChicaGourmets, Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions, Glenview Farmers Market, Green Chicago Restaurant Co-op, Green City Market, Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders Alliance, Les Dames d’Escoffier, Lexington College, Notre Dame Food Services, Purple Asparagus, Rushing Waters Trout Farm, Slow Food Chicago
Right Bite dinner
Calling all foodies! Every other month, Shedd holds a Right Bite sustainable seafood dinner at one of our partner restaurants. Learn more and make your reservation for the next delicious evening.
