Ep. 178 - Not Your Ordinary Family Fish Business with Roger Berkowitz, CEO and President of Legal Sea Foods

Today we have Roger Berkowitz, CEO and President of Legal Sea Foods on the show. A Third generation family business that not only does fish processing, but has a fish restaurant, and a fish grocery store. All of my fans in the East love this restaurant.

I interview Roger on the complexities of the fish farming industry and there was some things I didn’t know about, one, Roger talks about how the rising temperature of the water is affecting fish yields, and two, the complexities of fish farming.

You will also learn some tips Roger has learned in his life of leadership.

And also, learn about Roger’s other food love. It’s not fish, it’s actually….coffee!

About Roger

Roger started working in the family fish market in Inman Square, Cambridge at the age of 10 and held a variety of roles prior to becoming President and CEO in 1992.  Since taking the helm, he’s led the company’s growth and diversification.  He now oversees restaurant, retail and mail order divisions and steers the course for 4,000 employees.

Roger is a member of the Board of Directors for the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, the Regional Selection Panel for the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships and NOAA’s Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee.  He is a member of the Massachusetts Workforce Training Fund Advisory Committee and a member and past President of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association.

In addition, Roger serves on many non-profit Boards including: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, UNICEF, the Environmental League of Massachusetts and the Blue Frontier Campaign.  He is a member of the Board of Overseers for Brandeis International Business School and serves on the leadership council at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Roger graduated from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University and attended executive education programs at Harvard Business School, University of London School of Business and Stanford Graduate School of Business.  He holds an honorary master’s degree from the Culinary Institute of America and honorary doctorates from Johnson & Wales University, Newbury College, Salem State University and Nichols College.

Among numerous awards and recognitions, Roger was named a James Beard Award winner in 2017, inducted into the “Menu Masters Hall of Fame” by Nation’s Restaurant News and received the “Chairman’s Award for Distinguished Meritorious Service” by The Atlantic States Marines Fisheries Commission.  He was also the recipient of the George Arents Award, which recognizes Syracuse University alumni for their extraordinary achievements.

Sponsor

This episode is sponsored by Salt of the Earth. During IFT, I went to their booth. They were serving vegetarian meatballs and mac and cheese using Mediterranean umami. I would say, it was probably the best meatball made of pea protein I’ve tasted. Mediterranean Umami brings a rich, savory component while being clean label and reduces sodium and made with simple ingredients such as tomatoes, sea salt, seaweed, and mushrooms.

Ask my friend David for a bottle of Mediterranean Umami any time by emailing  info@salt.co.il

Show Notes

What advice would you give a CEO?: The best experience you can get as a CEO is to get on the front lines and interact with people What do you tell people in a sentence or less?: I’m a fishmonger What is Legal Seafood?: We’re a restaurant, and a grocery store, and getting into ecommerce but all-in-all, we’re a food business We’re a 3rd generation seafood business. Every generation adds a new part of the business. We have to recognize our DNA to make great decisions What have you observed throughout your years in the food industry?: There are people who have traveled more, or experience more and we have to broaden our scope. How do you get your fish?: We usually go through an auction, however, we’ve realized that ocean is heating up and we’re looking into fish farming NOAA – Green fisheries and advisory committee What is fish farming?: Anything we should know about fish farming: We test every single fish for fecal coliforms and vibrio, and also mercury Vibrio Vulnificus Oysters must be fresh water and not break temperature Describe the steps it took to get to where you are today?: After I went to college with a  degree in journalism, I worked in the restaurant business. I learned it was hard to communicate with the public about fish crises so I took that with me to improve the company. I met James Beard: One of our customers early on was Julia Child and she introduced me to “Jimmy” Beard What food trends are exciting you right now?: Coffee! I bought a coffee plantation and I’m creating a crop in Kona. I not only want to make coffee, but the best coffee ice cream Do people order coffee in a fish restaurant?: We run through 30,000 lbs of coffee a year. How much coffee do you drink?: 1 to 2 great cups of coffee Netherlands: They want 7, but Netherlands coffee cups are very small What is the biggest challenge the food industry has to face?: Cost of labor for restaurants is a big challenge so people in the industry has to change their model. What has Legal been doing to improve the model?: Actually working with Toyota to install lean processing. It’s helped us a ton with handling fish. I can produce a better fish Favorite Book: Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari How do you make a small fortune in the restaurant business?: Start out with a large one Any advice for anyone who wants to go into the food industry?: If you want to be in the business, immerse yourself in the business How about advice for starting a new industry?: I’ve been working into coffee for 10 years and it’s an ongoing pursuit. I’m going to continue the pursuit All beans have their particular nuances Rogerb@legalseafoods.com

 

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