AltaSea Unveils All-Star Chef Lineup and Sustainable Seafood Menu for Blue Hour 2026

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (October 5, 2026) – AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles today unveiled the chef lineup and menu for Blue Hour 2026, its annual fundraiser and immersive culinary experience celebrating sustainable seafood and the blue economy. Headlined by Emmy and four-time James Beard Award-winning chef Andrew Zimmern, the event will feature acclaimed chefs from around the globe, serving dishes that showcase sustainable seafood, aquaculture, sea vegetables, and other ingredients connected to healthy oceans and resilient food systems.

Blue Hour will take place Saturday, October 10, from 5:30-10 PM at AltaSea’s oceanfront campus in San Pedro. Now in its seventh year, Blue Hour brings together chefs, ocean advocates, entrepreneurs and innovators to explore the connections between food, ocean health and the emerging blue economy. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit: https://altasea.org/blue-hour-2026/

“Food is one of the most powerful ways to connect people to one another and to the health of our oceans,” said Zimmern. “Blue Hour captures what makes AltaSea so special – using food to bring people together, spark curiosity, and show that a healthier ocean can also create stronger communities and a more sustainable future.”

Guests will be able to sample dishes from chef pavilions throughout AltaSea’s historic waterfront campus, including:

• Andrew Zimmern will prepare kombu-cured Alaskan sablefish with fresh shiso, white miso-yuzu vinaigrette, pickled mustard seed and cucumber, featuring seafood provided by Alaska Seafood. Zimmern, an AltaSea Trustee, has spent decades advocating for responsible sourcing and healthier fresh- and saltwater food systems. His pavilion is sponsored by Carrix.
  
  
• Chris Cosentino, the award-winning chef, author, sustainability advocate, and chef partner in Koast in Wailea, Maui will serve Kona kanpachi crudo with macadamia nut nam jim, featuring kanpachi from Blue Ocean Mariculture, which will also sponsor his pavilion. Cosentino has built his career around thoughtful sourcing, whole-animal cooking and reducing food waste.
  
  
• San Pedro’s Dustin Trani, a fourth-generation chef and owner of Trani’s Dockside Station and The Majestic, will prepare a bluefin tuna tostada / green apple, chili crunch, mint, Thai style ponzu . Trani grew up cooking in his family’s San Pedro restaurant J. Trani, which just celebrated its centennial anniversary last year, before training in Bangkok and Italy and today carries forward his family’s century-long culinary legacy on the Los Angeles waterfront. His pavilion is sponsored by Arc Boats.
  
  
• Alaska chef Beau Schooler will serve a Taku salmon wing with buffalo sauce, kelp ranch and kelp pickle. Schooler, Executive Chef of In Bocca Al Lupo in Juneau, was a 2025 James Beard Award finalist for Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific and is known for highlighting local and seasonal Alaskan ingredients. His pavilion is sponsored by Alaska Seafood.
  
  
• Bradley Gale, Executive Chef of The Fishery in San Diego, will prepare a temaki hand roll with Ogo seaweed salad and kimchi aioli, featuring seafood provided by The Cultured Abalone, also the sponsor of this pavilion. Gale has more than 15 years of culinary experience and works closely with fishermen, farmers and purveyors to showcase Southern California’s coastal bounty.
  
  
• Robert Lee will serve Grassy Bar Miyagi oysters with mignonette, cocktail sauce, fresh horseradish and a ponzu kelp topping, featuring oysters provided by Holdfast Aquaculture. Holdfast began at AltaSea before expanding to a larger San Pedro facility, bringing the connection between local aquaculture and the plate directly to Blue Hour guests. Lee’s pavilion is created and built by Blue Robotics.
  
  
• Sushi chefs Tak and Juli Yokoo will serve an assortment of authentic Japanese sushi from their hydrogen-powered, zero-emission sushi cart. The husband-and-wife team created the cart as a modern, clean-energy interpretation of the traditional sushi vendors that first appeared on Tokyo’s streets nearly 200 years ago. Their pavilion is sponsored by Fenix Marine Services.
  
  
• Chef Carlos Jurado, hailing from Selva restaurant in Long Beach, will prepare Peruvian scallop crudo with aji vinaigrette, fermented aji amarillo, chlorophyll oil, and champagne espuma. His pavilion is sponsored by TEKEVER.
  
  
• Chef Manuel Bañuelos will also join the Blue Hour chef lineup. Bañuelos began his culinary career in Guadalajara, Mexico, and today combines his Mexican culinary roots with contemporary techniques as a Corporate Innovation Chef. His pavilion is sponsored by Black Knight Patrol.

Students from Los Angeles Harbor College’s Culinary Arts Program will also take an active role in the evening. A culinary student will work alongside each participating chef, giving students hands-on experience with leading culinary professionals while learning about sustainable seafood and blue foods. LA Harbor College will also host its own pavilion during the event. The program continues Blue Hour’s emphasis on connecting the next generation of culinary talent with the growing blue economy.

“Sustainable seafood is a critical pillar of the blue economy, and Andrew, Dustin, Chris, and other chefs joining us are helping lead the way by showing how delicious, innovative, and essential ocean-friendly cuisine can be,” said AltaSea President & CEO Terry Tamminen.

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About AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles

AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles, located on 35 acres at North America’s leading seaport by both container volume and cargo value, is dedicated to accelerating scientific collaboration, advancing an emerging blue economy through business innovation and job creation, and inspiring the next generation, all for a more sustainable, just, and equitable world.