2025 Blue Hour:
The Culinary Arts of Blue Food
A Celebration Honoring Chef Andrew Zimmern
Saturday, September 27
Land’s End at the AltaSea Campus
5:30pm – 10:00pm
2451 Signal Street, Berth 60
AltaSea produces an annual fundraiser, Blue Hour, bringing a unique spectacle to life. The inaugural event took place in 2020 during the Covid pandemic, featuring a drive-in experience where the live ocean floor was digitally projected onto the Battleship USS Iowa, while accompanied by music. Since then, the theme of Blue Hour has evolved each year.
In 2023 Blue Hour showcased over 15 original art pieces, all centered on ocean preservation and sustainability, while last year celebrated ocean inspired music performed by the LA Choral Lab. Blue Economy trailblazers are honored with the Innovator award, the NextGen award and, in special circumstances, the Cornerstone award for those longtime supporters.
This year, AltaSea will celebrate pioneers in the Blue Food sector, including Andrew Zimmern, celebrity American chef and restaurateur.
As an Emmy-winning and four-time James Beard Award recipient, Andrew is a dynamic TV personality, chef, writer, and dedicated global citizen. He has committed his life to fostering cultural acceptance, tolerance, and understanding through culinary experiences, while also emphasizing the significance of ocean health, sustainability, and responsibly sourced food to secure a better future for generations.
AltaSea will honor Andrew with the Innovation Award presented by lifetime ocean advocates, Philippe and Ashlan Cousteau.
This year’s Blue Hour will feature chef demonstrations, exquisite culinary creations, literal works of art from food, live music, distinctive entertainment, and a variety of ocean food and drinks.
Blue Hour 2024: Ocean Songs
Blue Hour 2023: Above & Below
Blue Hour 2022: The Warehouse
Ticket Information
Ticket Options
$150 for Blue Hour Admission ticket
$500 for Blue-Access VIP ticket
Tickets Include
Admission to Blue Hour
1 Meal Courtesy of Trani’s Dockside
Access to Open Bar
Blue-Access Includes
Private outdoor lounge
Bar with signature drink
Mix & mingle with award winners throughout the night
Sponsorship Information
Contact Sandy Schaeffer at sandy@aubryandco.com or
Aileen Sagara at aileen@aubryandco.com
The funds raised by Blue Hour supports AltaSea’s Ocean STEM, which provide educational programs to students throughout Los Angeles at no cost, giving them an opportunity to learn about the vast opportunities within the blue economy – from marine conservation to underwater robotics and clean energy.
If you cannot attend Blue Hour, you can donate to AltaSea here
AltaSea is a 501(c)(3) and donations are tax-deductible
Four Immersive Pavilions
Blue Hour 2025 will feature four immersive and inspiring “Blue Food” pavilions, offering guests a chance to explore exceptional ocean-based cuisine while discovering the future of the Blue Economy and sustainable aquaculture. This year’s event spotlights vendors and collaborators deeply connected to AltaSea’s mission to accelerate ocean innovation.
Curated by Chef Sammy Monsour, the pavilions will be designed as 10’x20’ interactive spaces where culinary creativity meets ocean sustainability. Chef Monsour will collaborate with each pavilion team to craft original menus and tasting experiences that elevate the role of sustainable seafood, sea vegetables, and cutting-edge marine technologies.
Trani's Dockside Station
To complement the Pavilions, Trani’s Dockside Station and Chef Dustin Trani will provide a curated menu of food offerings. Dockside is a seafood forward California cuisine full-service restaurant celebrating its 100-year anniversary this year. Chef Dustin Trani is a fourth-generation celebrity chef and owner. The Trani family is a San Pedro institution that has consistently set the standard in the town’s food scene.
LA Harbor College Pavilion – Blue Economy Culinary Arts Pavilion
In partnership with LA Harbor College’s acclaimed Culinary Arts Program, this pavilion will spotlight next-generation culinary talent. Students will prepare recipes inspired by our 2025 Blue Hour Honoree, Chef Andrew Zimmern, with a focus on:
– Ocean vegetables (like kelp and sea lettuce)
– Underutilized or overlooked marine species
– Artisanal seafood sausages crafted with sustainability in mind
Expect bold flavors, inventive dishes, and a powerful showcase of how education and the Blue Economy intersect.
Seaweed Pavilion – Featuring Kelp Ark
This pavilion will highlight the power of seaweed as both a sustainable food source and a regenerative force for our oceans. A featured chef, selected by Chef Monsour, will create culinary experiences that celebrate seaweed’s diversity.
In collaboration with Kelp Ark and potentially the California Seaweed Festival (hosted at AltaSea on October 10), this pavilion will emphasize the ecological and culinary significance of marine plants.
Braid Theory Pavilion – Sustainable Innovation Meets Cuisine
Sustainability takes center stage in this pavilion, curated in partnership with Braid Theory. The focus: exploring ocean-conscious packaging and the future of eco-friendly food innovation.
The pavilion will blend food artistry with storytelling, featuring a chef collaboration that integrates sustainable materials into the culinary journey—an innovative intersection of food and technology.
Blue Robotics Pavilion
See oysters from tank to table and beyond! Visit Blue Robotics at their “coastal cafe” inspired pavilion with oysters supplied by San Pedro local and AltaSea Alumni, Holdfast Aquaculture. Learn all about the tech behind oyster farming while enjoying freshly shucked oysters and seaweed-infused toppings by Chef Robert Lee!
Blue Food Auction
Even if you can’t make the event, please join in our Ocean Songs Auction to bid on one — or multiple — of several magnificent prizes and support AltaSea’s critical educational initiatives.
You could win:
We appreciate your support of AltaSea and want to make your money go further!
Auction ends on TBD and all winners will be notified by TBD.
Thank You Auction Item Sponsors
2025 Award Recipients
Innovation Award
AltaSea will honor Chef Zimmern with the Innovation Award in recognition of his contributions to sustainable seafood and the blue economy. The Innovation Award is given annually to people who display ingenuity, drive progress, and solve some of the world’s most pressing problems with innovative solutions. As a chef, humanitarian, entrepreneur, and global citizen, Zimmern has devoted his life to exploring and promoting cultural acceptance, tolerance, and understanding through food.
Zimmern’s work, including his co-creation of the Emmy and James Beard Foundation award nominated PBS documentary-series Hope in the Water, his work telling stories on and about our global water systems for over 20 years on television across 12 series, his authorship of the new cookbook The Blue Foods Cookbook, his advocacy for fresh and salt water food systems as a global ambassador for the United Nations World Food Program, the Nature Conservancy, creating access to sustainable fish and seafood as a pillar of his work with the Environmental Working Group, and as a founding member of the Coalition for Sustainable Aquaculture inspires us all to take global action for healthier oceans and a more sustainable food future.
NextGen Award
AltaSea will also honor the Chadwick Ocean Institute with the NextGen Award, which honors emerging leaders or institutions that help shape a better and more sustainable future. The Chadwick Ocean Institute is a K-12 program that extends learning beyond the classroom, immersing students in real-world ocean science, research, and sustainability. Students get hands-on experience, providing them with a strong foundation with jobs in the emerging blue economy. The institute has a dedicated space at AltaSea called “The Co-Lab”, a vibrant hub for ocean innovation where students, scientists, entrepreneurs, educators, and policy shapers converge to explore new frontiers in marine science and technology.
Cornerstone Award
AltaSea is proud to present the 2025 Cornerstone Award to Eric Johnson, a steadfast supporter of our mission and a true pillar of the San Pedro community. As a principal of the Victory Group of Companies and president of Jerico Development, Eric has played a transformative role in revitalizing the LA Waterfront, including the development of West Harbor—an ambitious 42-acre dining, retail, and entertainment complex adjacent to AltaSea. One of AltaSea’s earliest champions, Eric’s commitment to ocean-focused innovation and education mirrors his decades-long philanthropic leadership through the Crail Johnson Foundation, where he has worked to expand STEM opportunities and uplift underserved youth across Los Angeles. Through his leadership in business, education, and maritime programming, Eric Johnson exemplifies the spirit of community-driven progress that Blue Hour celebrates.
Featured Artist: Beatie Wolfe
Beatie Wolfe – Conceptual artist and composer overview
“Musical weirdo and visionary” (Vice) Beatie Wolfe has beamed her music into space, been appointed a UN role model for innovation, and held a solo exhibition of her ‘world first’ designs at the V&A Museum. Named by WIRED as one of “22 people changing the world,” Wolfe is at the forefront of pioneering new formats that bridge the physical and digital. Wolfe’s latest innovations include a visualisation of 800,000 years of CO2 data, which premiered at the Nobel Prize Summit; a Brain Installation which was exhibited at the London Design Biennale in Somerset House and a Big Oil project which just won Prix Ars Electronica’s Golden Nica. Other recent projects include the world’s first bioplastic record with Michael Stipe and EarthPercent and a new body of work with Brian Eno. Wolfe is also the co-founder of a groundbreaking research project looking at the power of music for dementia.
Website: www.beatiewolfe.com
Beatie Wolfe’s Art Pieces exhibited at AltaSea’s Blue Hour
For Blue Hour 2025 AltaSea invites the conceptual artist and composer Beatie Wolfe to exhibit her two multi award winning climate art pieces “Smoke and Mirrors” and “From Green to Red” in addition to premiering her latest piece “LA Pipedream: Chinatown”.
Beatie’s work was introduced to AltaSea by Majestic’s cultural program ‘Space Space’, a not-for-profit dublab program overseen by KamranV
Smoke and Mirrors
Methane data x Big Oil ads since the first Earth Day
From Green to Red
An interactive environmental protest data art piece
LA Pipedream: Chinatown
What is the journey our water takes to reach us? And how might we think differently about it if we knew?
AltaSea acknowledges that our campus is located on the traditional lands and waters of the Tongva People; specifically our location is historically the aweeshkone xaa Chaawvetam (Village of Chaawvenga).
We also acknowledge the traditional lands and waters of the Chumash, Tataviam, Serrano, Cahuilla, Juaneno and Luiseno Peoples throughout Southern California, where AltaSea partners reside. We pay respect to the traditions, knowledge, past and present of these Indigenous Peoples.
Thank You Sponsors!
Deep Sea Explorer Sponsors
Next Gen Sponsors
Dreamers Sponsors
Artistic Sea Maven Sponsors
Climate Supporter Sponsors
Additional Thanks
