Celebrating farmed scallops from tide to table

Name: Rosemary Price

Title: Director of Philanthropy: Individual Giving

Focus: My role at Island Institute is to connect individuals with our work and help them meet their philanthropic goals to create meaningful impact for Maine’s coast.

In this photo: On a perfect summer evening this August, friends and supporters of Island Institute gathered at The Ark in Deer Isle for an event called “From Tide to Table,” a 5-course meal celebrating the ingenuity behind farmed scallops and the people who bring them to our plates. Andrew Schapiro, The Ark’s owner and innkeeper, described his culinary team’s visit to the scallop farm of Marsden and Bobby Brewer of PenBay Farmed Scallops as we sampled scallop crudo with pickled cucumber, mint, and wasabi. Schapiro shared: “We were inspired by what the Brewer family is doing and excited to find that farmed scallops are a product you can use every bit of.” The menu reflected this, featuring homemade pasta with scallop roe, fried scallop mantel on mixed lettuces, and seared scallops with local mushrooms, summer corn, and sage oil.

Island Institute is grateful to our special guests, the Brewers, and Marnie Crowell, co-author with Marsden of Farmed Sea Scallop Cookbook: A Guide to Whole Sea Scallops Sustainably Harvested. We were honored to highlight their knowledge, passion, and commitment to sustainable aquaculture and the long-term health of Maine’s coastal communities.

The evening was a powerful reminder that aquaculture can bring fishermen, farmers, and community members together around a shared vision for the future of the coast.

Pictured from left: Andrew Schapiro, Rosemary Price and Marsden Brewer on the deck of The Ark. PHOTO: ISLAND INSTITUTE