Mike Perez and Felix Alcaide are usually not vegans. Each had been raised in cultures the place meat was a part of nearly each meal. So why did they begin SeaCo Catch, a enterprise making plant-based fish tacos?
They knew they wished to work alongside one another, however they didn’t know it will be vegan meals that introduced them collectively.
Over time, Perez and Alcaide labored collectively on and off within the restaurant business, and so they had been all the time keen to seek out alternatives to collaborate once more. So when Perez was tapped by a neighborhood firm to launch a lunch program for its staff, he introduced in Alcaide.
The problem was to create a very vegan menu, which means dishes with out meat or any animal merchandise. Collectively they had been impressed to get inventive and take a look at out a plant-based fish taco recipe.
“We weren’t trying to begin a enterprise,” mentioned Perez, who’s CEO and co-founder of SeaCo. “We wished to serve one thing that’s scrumptious and fish taco-esque. We did that after which we actually began wanting into it.”
They made the vegan tacos once more for a couple of hundred folks at Burning Man, the annual creative-focused group occasion held within the desert, and so they had been successful. This led them to enter — and win — native contests with their fried vegan taco.
The constructive suggestions they obtained about their meals gave them the arrogance to pursue a vegan meals enterprise.
The white “meat” of the SeaCo “fÿsh” flakes like an on a regular basis fish taco. It’s created from coconut meat. It packs as a lot crunch as a “common” taco too, however this one is fried with a particular gluten- and soy-free batter. Perez famous that SeaCo’s fÿsh tacos are free from the top eight most-common allergens.
They’ve additionally centered on utilizing entire substances and never being extremely processed, which occurs to plenty of plant-based meals in an effort to imitate the non-vegan model.
That mentioned, SeaCo just isn’t making an attempt to create a protein complement for individuals who don’t devour meat or fish of their every day weight-reduction plan.
“No matter we lack in protein we make up for in … deliciousness,” Perez mentioned.
Whereas the taco has garnered essentially the most consideration for SeaCo, Perez mentioned their final aim is to promote the fÿsh itself and even the batter broadly to customers and eating places.
Felix Alcaide, left, Mike Perez, at proper, are the co-founders of SeaCo Catch. They serve up their plant-based “fysh” from their cellular meals trailer at native occasions.
(Charlie Neuman/For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Despite the fact that Alcaide and Perez each devour meat, they acknowledged that there’s a rising demand for plant-based meals.
They every have three youngsters and personally, they attempt to cut back the quantity of meat they devour as they see it as a approach to cut back their impression on pure assets.
“For us, we actually take a look at, like, what it’s doing to the surroundings, we’ve youngsters, we wish to make it possible for our children dwell on a planet that’s liveable,” Perez mentioned.
For no matter function folks select to devour plant-based meals — whether or not it’s for moral, well being or environmental causes — the SeaCo founders noticed a possibility to construct a enterprise that gives extra choices to satisfy these cravings.
Vegans and non-vegans alike had been lining up on the SeaCo truck at a latest Vegan Meals Popup market at Native Roots Boochyard in Vista.
“I attempted it and it was fairly good,” mentioned Jorge Valdez who just isn’t vegan however loves fish tacos. “I used to be like man, I need one other one and I ordered one other one.”
A SeaCo fÿsh taco prices $7, which is a bit pricier than an authentic fish taco at Rubio’s, which prices about $5. Along with tacos, additionally they promote ceviche and fÿsh and chips.
Earlier than Caston Turner turned a vegan she used to like consuming fish tacos. She mentioned that the feel of the coconut and the fried coating of the SeaCo taco is paying homage to that very same expertise.
“We deal with our greens precisely how we deal with our animal after we prepare dinner,” mentioned Alcaide, SeaCo’s president and govt chef. “We marinate it … We give them love as a result of that’s the key ingredient. That’s what makes our product totally different than others, I believe as a result of we give them time to get all the flavour.”
Alcaide mentioned it took a few yr to get the taco recipe proper and as a enterprise, SeaCo has been slinging fÿsh since 2019. The SeaCo founders are conscious that folks could also be skeptical at first, however hope clients hold an open thoughts.
It’s received awards in opposition to non-vegan tacos in contests, with the latest being the Judges’ and the Folks’s Alternative awards on the 2021 San Diego Bay Wine and Meals Competition. It was the primary time a vegan taco beat out the competitors and the primary time a single workforce swept each awards.
Dominique Delgado of Fallbrook carries two plates of three vegan fish tacos every she simply purchased on the SeaCo Catch meals trailer to share together with her youngsters.
(Charlie Neuman/For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Though Perez and Alcaide met greater than a decade in the past working within the restaurant business, they famous that this enterprise is a studying expertise in contrast to the every day operations of a brick-and-mortar restaurant.
They hire area and time at a shared industrial kitchen in San Marcos three days per week. SeaCo employs 12 part-time workers members to assist them put together the fÿsh and work at occasions. It’s a balancing act of constructing sufficient fÿsh every week whereas additionally sustaining the freezer area they should retailer it.
On prime of that, the duo and their third enterprise accomplice, Scott Holtgrieve, additionally work full-time jobs outdoors of their SeaCo “side-hustle.” However they’ve massive goals for the enterprise, which has been a grassroots, self-funded enterprise.
Quickly they’ll want a bigger kitchen area to scale manufacturing to some extent the place they will pursue larger offers and partnerships for his or her product. Perez estimates that they’re presently producing about 4,800 items, or 120 kilos, of fÿsh every week.
SeaCo fÿsh is accessible at Eris Meals Co. in Oceanside in addition to at Gracias Madre in West Hollywood — a stylish vegan Mexican restaurant that’s frequented by celebrities.
They’re additionally among the many swath of native distributors promoting vegan items every week on the Vegan Food Popup market in North County. This Saturday, SeaCo Catch might be serving up fÿsh on the San Dieguito Heritage Museum in Encinitas from midday to 4 p.m.
