New School Foods partners with plant-based chef to hone in on alt-seafood recipes

05 Mar 2024 --- New School Foods, a Canadian start-up specializing in plant-based seafood innovation, has announced a strategic partnership with plant-based cuisine chef Matthew Kenney to advance its whole-muscle alternatives formulation ahead of the commercial launch of its plant-based salmon filet in restaurants later this year.

Chef Kenney will join the New School Culinary Council (NSCC), which is the company’s invite-only collective of chefs and restaurateurs that are expected to work closely with the start-up to refine product development, suggest optimal preparations and facilitate the integration of its plant-based seafood substitutes. The alternatives are aimed at mimicking the appearance, cooking behavior, texture and flavor of traditional seafood.

Chris Bryson, CEO of New School Foods, tells Food Ingredients First: “We are committed to making our product as good as possible so that we can appeal to as many customers as possible. Accomplishing that requires a culture of continuously seeking feedback and working with talented outside parties like Chef Kenney.”

“By combining our whole-cut platform with Chef Kenney’s talents, we know that we can create a whole-cut product that will delight and satisfy both chefs and customers.” 

The innovation is making a conservation effort for sustainability. Recipe innovation
As an inaugural member of the NSCC, Chef Kenney is set to innovate an array of recipes featuring New School Foods’ whole-cut salmon filet throughout the year. His involvement underscores the product’s culinary flexibility and versatility, showcasing its suitability for a range of cooking methods, from sous vide to smoking. 

“When it comes to meat alternatives, there is no more demanding audience than professional chefs. If your product does not look, cook and taste like the real thing, you are better off in the grocery store because chefs will not compromise,” says Kenney.

“When the New School Foods team visited me, I was stunned by how it was a plant-based product that I could prepare any way I wanted. It cooks and transforms just like the real thing, raw-to-cooked transition and all while delivering an amazing taste and texture experience.”

Kenney’s consultancy roles will be essential in integrating New School Foods’ offerings into menus, particularly within the Los Angeles area, US. 

Production technology
Last year, New School Foods unveiled its plant-based salmon filet, a product of its proprietary scaffolding technology, which broadened the possibilities for plant-based products. 

This product introduces several innovations, including the recreation of muscle fibers to mimic raw meat and fish texture, a Directional Freezing-based technology for selling whole cuts “raw,” and a novel connective tissue solution enhancing the flakiness expected in fish.

“Not all customers know that seafood isn’t as healthy as one might think and that salmon contains toxins,” says Kenney.

“Customers might wonder about the benefits of plant-based salmon, so it will be essential for us to provide clear and simple training for restaurant staff to relay the product benefits to customers.”

Expansion into plant-based seafood development
To date, New School Foods has secured US$12 million in seed funding from a consortium of global investors earmarked for further research and development, team expansion and scaling its technology.

Bryson emphasizes the necessity of involving chefs in product development, ensuring that plant-based foods are both suitable for commercial kitchens and for simple recipes.

“Given the growing demand for seafood as well as plant-based alternatives, we’re excited to show customers that plant-based seafood can give them the same sensory and nutritional benefits they would expect - like Omega 3’s, iron, and protein - but without the risks of mercury, microplastics and antibiotics.”

“Our mission is to create products that not only delight customers but also become a tool in the chef’s toolkit, giving them creative freedom to create all kinds of new plant-based dishes. There’s much more to meat and seafood than burgers, nuggets and sausages, and we’re excited to bring more diversity to plant-based foods,” he concludes. 

By Sichong Wang