As part of Clearwater’s drive to grow demand for Arctic Surfclam (Hokkigai) in Europe, the Hokkigai Pro Chef Challenge was launched in December 2016 as a way to increase awareness of this product and actively engage with chefs.
In February 2017, the first Hokkigai Pro Chef Challenge was held in Paris, with 11 finalists selected from chefs who entered. Each finalist had to prepare a dish for the judges to taste and review, based on the following criteria:
The winning dish was Sautéed Arctic Surfclam with Salted Herbs, Oyster Leaf Emulsion by Chef Pham Chi Tam from the Restaurant Jean Chauvel in France. Chef Pham Chi Tam received a Yanagiba sushi knife and one year’s supply of Hokkigai from Clearwater.
