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Kosta Zogaris (Kosta the Fishmonger) is one of British Columbia's most celebrated seafood experts.
Seasoned with more than 25 years' experience in the seafood industry, he is in high demand as an expert upon the world's seafood stage. He has been an esteemed presenter at such venues as the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, The International Boston Seafood Show, and the European Seafood Exhibition in Brussels.
Within Vancouver, he is well-known as "Kosta the Fishmonger" on CKNW News Talk Radio, Food TV, City TV.
He is also a popular celebrity chef at gourmet exhibitions such as EAT! Vancouver, Chef Meets Grape, and The Home and Interior Show.
Hear Kosta's weekly tips live on the radio ...
Kosta the Fishmonger joins Philip Till of CKNW at 6:40 every Wednesday morning.
Tune in to get a healthy serving of yummy recipes, juicy tips, and tasty news! ...
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details.
Kosta is the owner/operator of 2 premier seafood retail outlets in Lonsdale Quay, North Vancouver:
* The award-winning Salmon Shop
(Consumer's
Choice Award 1999-2006)
* Screaming Mimi's
(listed as a prime seafood destination by international publications including those in
China, Hong Kong, and Japan).
Kosta and the rest of the staff are
a dedicated and spirited group of seafood aficionados. That integrity
and enthusiasm bubbles over into their work as they create Vancouver's
preeminent specialty seafood products.
Kosta Zogaris Man of the Oceans; Man of the World. By Philip Till
Vancouver Kosta Zogaris is unstoppable! Beneath an unassuming demeanor and in his trademark fishmongers bright yellow sea-waders, Kosta Zogaris is a man consumed with a passion for the fruits of the oceans and how to sustain those oceans for generations to come. Kostas motto could well be: never, ever, waste food! Many people are content to learn of their world from books, studies and surveys not so Kosta Zogaris. His decades of learning come from hands-on experiences very few could boast. Kosta has traveled the world in search of oceanic knowledge and the result is an encyclopedic but non-judgmental insight into our evolving world. From visiting the bustling fishmarkets of Japan to taking a tortuous journey by riverboat to find a teeming secretive fish-plant in China run by a mysterious Godfather who served dinner from parts of fishes even Kosta hadnt heard of! Then there was the time Kosta flew by rickety float-plane to the ice-covered Arctic in order to advise the Inuit people on how to prepare their catch for export; along the way Kostas curiosity got the better of him and he found himself stranded in the frozen tundra having to trek 20 kilometers in unmarked territory unarmed and being stalked by wolves. When he made it exhausted back to base, the Inuit told him: you neednt have worried about the wolves its the grizzly bears that are very hungry this time of year! Kosta Zogaris is a classic immigrant story. The son of traditional Greek parents, Kostas early years were spent listening to the clash of pots and pans in the kitchen of his fathers Vancouver restaurant. He grew up with food not as fuel but as culture; a culinary religion of bonding at the table that Kosta cherishes to this day with family and friends his home-made meals and gatherings are the stuff of legend. After finishing school in Canada, it was time to search for roots. Kosta did what came naturally: drawn to the sea, he went back to the Mediterranean. He became a fully-fledged sea captain, taking adventurers by sailboat through and around the Greek islands: sailing, fishing, cooking his daily catch onboard and never stopping learning from what came into his nets from beneath the waves. Returning home to Canada, Kosta began a new journey starting a family and plunging into every aspect of the fish industry. From dealing with the economic complexities of giant companies overseas to local crusty salmonboat and halibut skippers bringing their catch dockside, Kosta knew them all and he also knew there was something terribly wrong! Too much seafood was being lost and wasted due to ignorance. Kosta embarked on a mission that is now already in its 20th year added value: making sure that each and every part of the fish or sea creature caught is used to its full potential. In Kostas vocabulary, there is no such term as by-catch everything caught and brought to the surface should be consumed One glance at Kostas fish-shop display is a pescatoral eye-opening mosaic of color and imagination. Remember the motto of Kosta Zogaris: never, ever, waste food! And Kosta is the master his friends and customers marvel at his culinary creativity along with his daily mealtime message: keep it simple. In Vancouver Kosta is a name every food-lover knows. His weekly appearances with advice and recipes on the citys most popular radio station (see below) bring huge listener responses. His television cooking broadcasts always infuse humor to keep the audience glued to their TVs. So who is this man Kosta Zogaris? He has prepared B.C. salmon for British Royalty. He has prepared smoked salmon for a confidential envoy from the Vatican. He has rubbed shoulders with international Rock stars such as Bono while personally orchestrating the British Columbia Wild Salmon festival at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switerzland after which the Canadian ambassador described Kosta as not only a masterful chefbut also an excellent spokesperson. In addition, for seven years in a row British Columbians voted for Kosta as Vancouvers best and finest Fishmonger in the provinces Consumers Choice Awards, to which the premier of B.C. honored Kosta with the words: I applaud your outstanding achievements and congratulate you on receiving this well-deserved recognition. Back in his store, Kosta, gossiping with all and sundry in his famous yellow sea-waders, will accept the accolades of the glitterati with a smile and a shrug but, sipping a green tea and greeting a familiar face at his counter, his favorite compliment is when a customer comes back and says: Kosta, that funny-looking fish you gave me the other day was the best Ive ever tasted. Kosta Zogaris has a wealth of knowledge and he tells stories with flair and panache. (If he ever says to you: to cut a long story short run the other way itll be a good story, but a long one!) In summary, Kosta has spent decades trying to make every piece of fish count tirelessly making food products out of un- or underutilized seafood. Remember : never, ever waste food. Kosta is imbued with what some might call old fashioned values values sorely lacking in our world today: honesty, trust, experience. He should be cloned. This article was written by Philip Till. Mr. Till is a former foreign correspondent for NBC News. Mr. Till is the host of British Columbias most successful daily radio program in Vancouver. Kosta Zogaris is a weekly contributor to the program. Mr. Till describes Kosta as: a bit mad but someone you definitely want on your team.