Archives for October 2015

Longboat Key in Top 10 Conde Nast Traveler’s Islands

October 28, 2015 by

longboat keyIt’s time to invest in a larger trophy case. This time, Longboat Key has garnered national glory.

Longboat Key was the No. 9 best island in the U.S. in Conde Nast Traveler’s 2015 Readers’ Choice Awards. Hawaii’s Maui, Kauai, Oahu and Big Island nabbed the top four slots. Amelia Island, which ranked No. 10, was the only other Florida location to make the list.

The 12-mile island with land in both Sarasota and Manatee counties is known for its elegant and refined personality, said Virginia Haley, president of Visit Sarasota County. Conde Nast described Longboat Key as a more private option among the Sarasota-Bradenton area’s barrier islands and praised it for the sand dollars and seashells that can be found there.

Longboat Key typically spends less time in the spotlight than Siesta Key and Anna Maria Island.

“For us, what’s so important is for people to understand the different personalities of our islands,” Haley said. “It’s just thrilling to see Longboat getting recognized in this way.”

The beach accesses on Longboat Key are less pronounced than at some of the other barrier islands in the region. It also offers a number of hidden gems, such as Quick Point Nature Preserve, at its southeast corner.

“You feel like you’re almost on a deserted island, but you’re looking over all of Sarasota bay,” Haley said.

More than 128,000 travelers took part in Conde Nast Traveler’s 28th annual Readers’ Choice Awards survey. The readers submitted millions of ratings and tens of thousands of comments to determine the best cities, resorts, airlines, among other categories for travelers.

This latest honor has joined a long list of recent accolades for the Sarasota-Bradenton area.

This year, Siesta Key was ranked the No. 1 beach in the nation on TripAdvisor.com’s 2015 Travelers’ Choice Awards and was named the third best Florida beach in a poll by USA Today. Siesta Key and Lido both make regular appearances on TripAdvisor.com’s best of lists.

Stephen “Dr. Beach” Leatherman also touted Siesta Key in May 2011 as the nation’s top beach in his annual ranking.

Anna Maria Island, too, received recognition from Conde Nast earlier this year when its Coquina Beach was named one of the world’s “top island beaches for perfect sand.” The island this year was also named as one of the fastest-growing vacation destinations by TripAdvisor.com.

Herald Tribune 10/22/2015

Filed Under: Sarasota Best of, Sarasota Lifestyle, Sarasota Tourism Tagged With: , , ,

Black Opal Caviar – Mote Marine Laboratories

October 28, 2015 by

Sustainable, farm-produced American Black Opal caviar debuts this week

black-opal-caviarBlack Opal Platinum Reserve among world’s finest caviar

SARASOTA, Fla. (Sept. 16, 2015) – Black Opal caviar, the much-anticipated farm-raised black sturgeon caviar developed at Mote Marine Laboratories in Sarasota, goes to market this week, according to Christopher Cogan, chief executive officer of Healthy Earth Inc.

More than a million dollars’ worth of the very high-quality black caviar, produced from farm-raised Siberian sturgeon, has been produced for this initial marketing effort, Cogan said. The caviar is available in several amounts – from one-ounce jars, to one-kilo tins – which are now being labeled and packed in anticipation of shipping to select retail outlets and fine restaurants.

“We have plenty of caviar on the shelves, ready to go,” said Cogan. “We’ve produced nearly 1,000 kilos of Black Opal caviar in anticipation of this initial marketing effort. Our team of experts at Mote Aquaculture Park continue to harvest the largest, best-quality caviar they have ever produced.”

The story of Black Opal caviar and how it came to be is a fascinating tale of the meeting of technology and epicurean knowhow.

Sarasota’s prestigious Mote Marine Laboratory, a leader in research that supports long-term conservation and the sustainable use of marine resources, spearheaded water recirculation processes and other technologies that successfully applied land-based aquaculture to the production of black caviar, a product that had generally been collected in the wild.

The result: A successful process and operation that can produce nearly two metric tons of caviar and 81,000 pounds of sturgeon meat per year.

Enter Seven Holdings, an investment company that acquired the Siberian sturgeon and caviar business from Mote Marine. It is now beginning to market Black Opal caviar under the Healthy Earth brand – a hand-crafted, small-batch caviar that features a hint of briny sweetness that results in part from its malossol, or “little salt,” curing process.

The first black caviar to be marketed under the Black Opal brand is Black Opal Platinum Reserve ($95 per ounce), the brand’s highest quality grade. Black Opal Platinum Reserve has an egg size no smaller than 2.6 mm and must meet strict standards of firmness, aroma, flavor and appearance. Black Opal Platinum Reserve represents less than 20 percent of the company’s total caviar production.

The Black Opal brand also will include Black Opal Platinum ($76 per ounce), a caviar product that meets the same exacting standards as Black Opal Platinum Reserve but which is slightly smaller in size at 2.4 mm. Another grade, sold under the Black Opal Select, also is available to restaurants, chefs and distributors.

Healthy Earth’s goal, according to Cogan, is to become a world leader in the development of sustainable and economically viable sources of seafood as an answer to overfishing, pollution, and worldwide increases in the demand for seafood. Based in Sarasota, it is supported and led by a team of veteran entrepreneurs and internationally-recognized marine scientists.

To learn more about Healthy Earth, including purchase Black Opal caviar directly, visit its website – www.healthyearth.org

Filed Under: Sarasota Lifestyle Tagged With: , ,