Saving Fisherman's Livelihoods Amid a Pandemic with Jeff Tedmori

Summary

Saving Fisherman's Livelihoods Amid a Pandemic with Jeff Tedmori

In this episode of "Change Your Brain Every Day", hosts Dr. Daniel Amen and Tana Amen engage in a compelling conversation with Jeff Tedmori, the founder of E Fish. The discussion delves into the pivotal role of fish in brain health, personal experiences with seafood, and the remarkable resilience required to sustain fishermen's livelihoods during the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

1. The Crucial Role of Fish in Brain Health

Dr. Daniel Amen initiates the conversation by emphasizing the significance of fish in enhancing brain size and overall cognitive function. He underscores, “it's the only organ where size matters. And if you want a bigger brain, fish has just got to be part of your diet” (00:50). This statement sets the tone for the episode, highlighting the foundational theme of brain health through nutrition.

2. Overcoming Personal Aversion to Fish

The discussion transitions into personal narratives, revealing common challenges individuals face with fish consumption. Tana Amen shares her daughter's initial resistance to consuming protein-rich foods: “when Chloe... she always would reach for my for sushi... she wouldn't eat any protein though” (01:30). This anecdote illustrates the difficulties parents encounter when introducing protein sources like fish to their children.

Jeff Tedmori contributes his own experience, admitting, “I grew up hating seafood” (02:15). However, his passion for fishing compelled him to confront this aversion. Jeff recounts how his parents insisted he consume the fish he caught, leading to a transformative realization about the quality of seafood. He reveals, “I was shocked. Like, it tasted nothing like what I had always known fish to be” (02:42), attributing this change to the fresh, high-quality fish he began to consume.

3. Ensuring Quality Seafood

A significant portion of the conversation centers on the importance of seafood quality. Jeff explains, “the quality of seafood depends on two things. It's time out of water and consistent temperature” (03:09). He critiques the traditional supply chain, which often involves multiple wholesalers and extended timeframes that compromise freshness. This insight highlights the dire need for streamlined processes to maintain seafood integrity.

Jeff advises, “if you're going to cook it, salt, pepper and ice, all you need, keep it simple” (04:05), advocating for minimalistic seasoning to preserve the natural flavors of fresh fish. This approach not only enhances taste but also aligns with healthy eating principles that support brain function.

4. Navigating the Pandemic: A Business Pivot

The narrative takes a dramatic turn as Jeff discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on his business. Initially, E Fish was poised to launch as a marketplace connecting fishermen with fine dining chefs. However, with the onset of the pandemic and the subsequent shutdown of New York City—a central hub for his operations—Jeff faced significant setbacks (05:42).

Undeterred, Jeff recounts his strategic pivot to a direct-to-consumer model: “I'm going to go start knocking on doors, and we're going to keep moving your product” (06:21). This swift decision was driven by his real-time understanding of the epidemic's trajectory from his academic environment at MIT, where he was studying epidemiology and modeling pandemics.

5. Sustaining Fishermen’s Livelihoods

Jeff’s proactive approach played a crucial role in sustaining fishermen during the pandemic. By transitioning to direct sales, he ensured that fishermen remained operational and financially stable. He shares, “the fisherman never had to pull their boat out of the water for the rest of that season” (08:38), emphasizing the positive impact of his business adaptation.

This strategy not only preserved the supply chain but also fostered a sense of community and resilience among those reliant on fishing. Jeff highlights the importance of maintaining operations to prevent economic despair among fishermen, stating, “they were still harvesting, they were still moving forward and still able to have a positive outlook” (08:38).

6. The Economics of Seafood: Restaurant vs. Home Cooking

The conversation explores the economic dynamics between dining out and home cooking. Dr. Daniel Amen points out the cost-effectiveness of preparing high-quality fish at home compared to restaurant prices: “it's a better value. And you don't. It doesn't have to be complicated” (09:06). This comparison underscores the accessibility of nutritious seafood for a broader audience when prepared at home.

Tana Amen acknowledges the emotional aspect of dining out, especially amidst the pandemic: “it's fun to go to these restaurants sometimes... I am an advocate of also keeping restaurants in business” (10:20). However, she balances this sentiment by highlighting the necessity for affordable, healthy options for those unable to frequent restaurants, reinforcing the value of E Fish’s direct-to-consumer model.

7. Long-Term Business Vision

Jeff discusses the future trajectory of E Fish, balancing both B2B and B2C models: “we definitely see in the long term, us being able to work with both of these customers” (09:58). This hybrid approach allows flexibility and resilience, catering to the evolving market demands post-pandemic.

Conclusion

The episode offers a rich exploration of the intersections between brain health, nutrition, and economic resilience. Through personal stories and strategic business insights, Jeff Tedmori exemplifies how adaptability and a commitment to quality can sustain livelihoods and promote healthier lifestyles. Dr. Daniel and Tana Amen effectively highlight the broader implications of these themes, providing listeners with both inspiration and practical knowledge to enhance their brain and body health through informed dietary choices.

Notable Quotes

• Dr. Daniel Amen on the importance of fish for brain size: “it's the only organ where size matters. And if you want a bigger brain, fish has just got to be part of your diet” (00:50).

• Jeff Tedmori on the impact of the pandemic: “the fisherman never had to pull their boat out of the water for the rest of that season” (08:38).

• Jeff Tedmori on maintaining seafood quality: “the quality of seafood depends on two things. It's time out of water and consistent temperature” (03:09).

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Note: Timestamps are provided in MM:SS format as per the transcript.

Transcript

[A]

Welcome to the Brain warriors way podcast. I'm Dr. Daniel Amen.

[B]

And I'm Tana Amen. In our podcast, we provide you with the tools you need to become a warrior for the health of your brain and body.

[A]

The Brain Warriors Way podcast is brought to you by Amen Clinics where we have been transforming lives for 30 years using tools like brain spect imaging to personalize treatment to use. For more information, visit amenclinics.com the BrainWarriors.

[B]

Way podcast is also brought to you by Brain MD where we produce the highest quality nutraceuticals to support the health of your brain and body. To learn more, go to brainmd.com welcome back.

[A]

We are here with Jeff Ted Mori. We're talking about fish and your brain and how to have a bigger brain. It's the only organ where size matters. And if you want a bigger brain, fish has just got to be part of your diet. Some people say I don't like fish. And I wonder why that happens. Do you have any idea? It's, you know, their mom was not a good cook and didn't prepare it right. They weren't exposed to it young. When Chloe, our youngest, a child, was a small child.

[B]

Protein? No, like six months old. Like she was like six months old, she always would reach for my for sushi and I'm like, she can't eat that because I'm not going to give a six month old raw fish. So I called her doctor. She wouldn't eat any protein though. So I called her doctor. Finally, when she's about a year old, she wouldn't eat any kind of chicken. Nothing. She wouldn't even eat hot dogs. Like, I would like try to bribe her with some kind of protein because I was like freaked out that she wouldn't eat protein. So I called her doctor, he's like, give her the sushi. Just make sure it's clean. I was like, really? So. But she was drawn.

[A]

That's why she had 12 word sentences, maybe. And why she tortures me with language.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

No, she's like, yeah, maybe that's why she's got a 4.2 GPA. Who knows? But all she would eat was raw fish. It was the. She wouldn't even eat it if it was cooked. Super weird.

[C]

What's funny is I grew up hating seafood.

[B]

Oh, funny.

[C]

I would not eat it. And I had this interesting situation where I love to go fishing. And so I came back after a fishing trip with all of this incredible fish and I would give it away to family members I would give it away to friends and family. And my parents sat me down and said, listen, if you are going to go fishing, you have to eat the fish.

[B]

Oh, that is fun.

[C]

You can't kill these animals and not consume them. That's just not right. And so that next fishing trip I went on, I made a dedicated effort to try it when I got home. And I was shocked. Like, it tasted nothing like what I had always known fish to be. And that's because I had grown up never actually having a good piece of fish.

[B]

Interesting.

[C]

I think at the end of the day, people have bad experiences because they're not getting a fish that's truly fresh. Yeah, they're out of water for far too many weeks. They're frozen and thawed out far too many times. And what we like to say is that the quality of seafood depends on two things. It's time out of water and consistent temperature. And the traditional supply chain relies on three to five different wholesalers moving the product between warehouses. And that extends time and it increases the risk that that product's gonna stay cold. That leads to a product that's ultimately subpar. And so I would encourage anybody who does claim that, you know, it's too fishy or I don't like it. Try a good piece of fish and you might be surprised.

[B]

That's cute. So my neighbor was from Japan. Amazing, amazing person. He was just. He loved my daughter. He knew that she liked fish. And so he went fishing, got this very, very fresh piece of fish, brought it over. He didn't speak great English. He brought it over and he said, make sure I understood. Make sure you eat it soon. And so I'm like, okay. So that night I cooked it and we took him a big piece of it. And he was horrified. He was horrified because he is like, no, you don't cook this. You eat it raw. It was really cute because it was so fresh. He's like, this is sushi grade fish.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah, it was yellowtail. Yeah, it was so great.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And I mean, a lot of people get overwhelmed by what to do with it, right? Do I cook it? Do I eat it raw? Can I eat it raw?

[B]

Right.

[C]

And I like to say that when you're working with a fresh product, like truly fresh, like as if you're like, you went fishing and caught it yourself. It doesn't take a whole lot of prep work. It doesn't. Crazy recipe. If you're going to cook it, salt, pepper and ice, all you need, keep it simple and you'll.

[B]

That's how Bear Flag made their business.

[A]

Salt, pepper. And I missed the last thing you said, Jeff.

[C]

Just like a nice oil, like whether that's going to be a nice olive oil or just a finishing oil.

[A]

Yeah, no, I like it simple.

[B]

Yeah, simple, right?

[A]

Salt, pepper. Completely happy with it. Maybe a little lemon juice on it. Yeah. When people do too much, it can sour it for them. Stuart, do you have any great stories since starting E Fish?

[C]

Yeah. So we had originally launched as a marketplace connecting these fishermen to fine dining chefs. And we had this elaborate plan right in place. I was building this out during my second year at mit, about to graduate, and we had this Plan to launch March 1, 2020, and we were shipping to John George's restaurant in New York City. We were so excited about this launch. Two weeks in pandemic hits. New York City is the epicenter of the.

[B]

That's so painful.

[C]

And so literally two weeks in months had shut down. And what most people don't realize is how badly it also affects downstream. Right. We heard from farmers, we heard from restaurant owners and chefs, but what people don't realize is that these fishermen were really heavily impacted. And so what we did was, you know, I remember it distinctly. It was. It was March 18th, and my fisherman out of Cape Cod called me and said, hey, all of our restaurants closed down, so we're pulling the boats out of the water and we're going to wait this thing out. So I'll call you once, once, you know, this is done in a few weeks, and we'll get back up and running. And I'm, of course, at mit and I'm. I'm a student in a class where literally an epidemiologist, as well as people who model epidemics. These are the classes that I'm in. And we're modeling this thing out in real time, and we're clearly seeing that there is no end in sight, no matter which way we go about it. I went back to the fisherman and I said, listen, like, if you wait this out, this is going to be really bad. So here's what we're going to do. I'm going to go start knocking on doors, and we're going to keep moving your product. And so that week, I sent messages out to all of the students at mit, students at Harvard Business School, and I said, hey, we've got oysters, we've got mussels. You guys are stuck indoors. I'm going to teach you how to shuck them, how to cook them. By the way, I had never cooked a muscle in My life. And we're just going to figure this out. And so I drove down to Cape Cod. I picked up oysters, I picked up mussels and clams.

[B]

Brilliant.

[C]

And delivered these boxes. And that's where we started this entire direct to consumer model.

[B]

That's brilliant.

[C]

Look back from there.

[B]

People still had to eat. And we were struggling. And that was just brilliant because it's like, what are we going to do? Wait a year and a half to buy seafood? We can't do that.

[C]

Right. And what's amazing is that that fisherman never had to pull their boat out of the water for the rest of that season. Right. We kept them going.

[B]

That's amazing.

[C]

It wasn't what it. What a normal year would look like by any stretch of the imagination, but they were still harvesting, they were still moving forward and still able to have a positive outlook on what's going on, rather than just sitting, waiting.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

And did your business model then change to a direct to consumer model, or do you see it going back to selling to restaurants or both?

[C]

Yeah. So we had to make a pivot to direct to consumer. There were no restaurants that were operating. Obviously there was takeout, but I don't know, the last time that you ordered oysters for takeout or any seafood item for takeout. It's just not that big of an item for takeout. And so we moved to direct consumer. And we love that side of the business. I will say that we do. We're starting to see these restaurants come back. Right. And whether we're shipping to, you know, three Michelin star Manresa in the San Francisco area, John George's New York City, and their restaurants out there. Like, these are the restaurants that are coming back that are ordering the exact same product that we ship to our customers. And so we definitely see in the long term, us being able to work with both of these customers.

[B]

I love that you took care of.

[A]

Although the markup, you know, if you learn how to cook this at home.

[B]

Oh.

[A]

Given the restaurant markup, the $45 a.

[B]

Plate in some of these places.

[A]

Crazy, right? That it's a better value. And you don't. It doesn't have to be complicated.

[B]

Now. Let's be clear. It's fun to go to these restaurants sometimes. And I'm a huge advocate of keeping restaurants in business. So sometimes I'll do it just because I'm. I'm just so sad that some of my favorite restaurants went out of business. So I am an advocate of also keeping restaurants in business. But. But so not everyone can afford to do that and we need to be conscious of that. And I love that we've got a.

[A]

Lot of people eat healthy and afford it on a budget, afford high quality fish. It's so much more affordable if you do it at home, right?

[B]

Absolutely.

[C]

And I think that's one of the big benefits.

[B]

And we purchased your product and it's excellent. So yeah.

[A]

All right, well, when we come back, we're gonna talk more about how Bish can make you smarter. Stay with us.

[B]

If you're enjoying the Brain Warriors Way podcast, please don't forget to subscribe so you'll always know when there's a new episode. And while you're at it, feel free to give us a review or five star rating as that helps others find the podcast.

[A]

If you're interested in coming to Amen Clinics, use the code podcast10 to get a 10% discount on a full evaluation at amenclinics.com for more information, give us a call at 855-978-1363.