Work days for Eat Jackson don’t always start at 6:00 am.
Truth be told, my workdays tend towards evening work rather than morning work… we mirror the hours of a restauranteur and chef in many respects. And for a chef, midnight is an early turn-in.
Leaving Gulfport
But I didn’t complain about this one early morning since I was meeting six chefs to do something that I’d been wanting to do for months: fish, cook and eat.
Fishing, cooking and eating top the list of my favorite things, and on this day, I had invited three chefs from Jackson, MS to join me on an adventure… one of those days most only dream about.
My friend Frank Wilem had graciously invited us, along with three Gulfport-area chefs on board his sportfish boat for a full day of serious bluewater fishing.
We arrived at the harbor and boarded Frank’s boat, Vixen, around 6:30 a.m. After a brief bit of instruction and introduction it was time to sit back and enjoy the ride for a bit while Captain Eric took us 60 miles or so south of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
When we left the harbor, it was perfect fishing weather: cloudy and 62 degrees. The 56-foot Viking roared to life as we passed the no-wake zone and began to hit our cruising speed. The throaty bass of the diesel turbo-charged engines were lulling and peaceful, softening the blow of the early morning for this usually late night-working crowd.
High hopes of a big day!
Coast vs. Landlubbers
As we pulled up to the first rigs, excitement was afoot. We designated teams for the day with the chefs…ahem, fishermen… from Jackson vying to out-fish their Gulf Coast counterparts.
Team Jackson comprised of Steven D’Angelo, Executive Chef at Nick’s Restaurant in Jackson and The Mermaid Cafe in Madison; Dan Blumenthal, Executive Chef at Bravo! Italian Restaurant & Bar, Broad Street Baking Company and Sal & Mookies New York Pizza & Ice Cream Joint, all in Jackson; and Andy Wilson, the Owner and General Manager of Underground 119 in Jackson. While this team hailed from Jackson, it’s hard to ignore their Gulf Coast roots: Wilson grew up in Gulfport’s Bayou View community and worked as a chef on the Gulf Coast before Hurricane Katrina. D’Angelo is a New Orleans native and owned a restaurant in Bay St. Louis and served as chef under celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse at his former Mississippi Gulf Coast restaurant. Barry Foster, host of Gulf South Outoors show on the Pursuit Channel, added his fixing experience to the Jackson team as well.
Perfect Setting
The Gulf Coast was represented by Victor Pickich, Executive Chef and General Manager at Latitude 30 Restaurant & Bar and The Dock Bar & Grill both in Gulfport; Stephen Coblentz, Head Chef at Latitude 30 Restaurant & Bar and The Dock Bar & Grill; and Scott Weinberg, Owner, Chef and General Manager of The Blow Fly Inn also in Gulfport. Frank Wilem joined the Gulf Coast team.
Fish Jumping Into The Boat?
As bait hit the water, the teams caught a couple of small cobia to start the morning…one barely a keeper, but then it happened. You may not believe it even if I tell you. Chef Dan hooked a fish, and a king mackerel chased it… right into the boat. That’s right. We have video to prove it. That king mackerel literally jumped into the boat. (Video coming soon to eat228.com!)
Three’s a Charm
A few hours and a few stops later, Team Jackson and a few others dropped baited lines into the water and started working their lines back and forth.
Then it happened.
At nearly the exact same moment, three lines went tight. A mad rush exploded on the boat as the crew readied to land fish. Chefs Andy Wilson and Dan Blumenthal were planted on the same side of the boat when the fish abruptly swapped directions. A tirade of yelling, laughter and instructive exclamations from the crew managed to untangle the mess and allow them to swap sides of the boat to continue their battle.
Scott Weinburg (right) looks on as Mike LeBlanc holds his first Red Snapper
Chef Dan Blumenthal with his massive Cobia
Chef D’Angelo landed his fish first – an approximately 35 pound cobia. As D’Angelo took a deep breath and smiled to enjoy his victory, excitement continued to build on the two remaining lines.
Chef Wilson reeled and tugged for several more minutes. Wilson’s cobia finally succumbed to the pressure and came close enough to the boat to snag in the waiting net. This cobia, slightly larger than D’Angelo’s took a plunge into the ice below deck, and Wilson didn’t waste any time dreaming out loud about the island ceviche he would make with his fresh white fish the next day.
The most exciting 38 minutes of the day was Chef Dan Blumenthal reeling what he called “a square ball” slowly up from the ocean floor. He was drenched with sweat, every muscle tensed as he bent the rod almost in half pulling the huge fish towards the boat. The massive cobia fought him tooth and nail. At one point the crew realized the fish was hooked on the side. Dan was pulling up a mammoth fish… sideways. The fish had the advantage.
Finally, after several failed attempts with the gaff hook, she came on board with a yell from the gallery and went directly into the ice box. Dan looked like he’d been beaten with a bat. He flopped exhausted on the comfortable sofa in the boat’s lounge and collapsed. We would be cooking cobia soon!
Keep your eyes out for parts two and three of this exciting fishing and cooking competition saga: The food, the smack talk, and the judges’ decisions…
That much fun should be illegal. Thanks Frank Wilem and Eat Jackson for putting this together and including me.
That much fun should be illegal. Thanks Frank Wilem and Eat Jackson for putting this together and including me.