Lunch – Day 2 – 2026

Join an all-star team of chefs at COOKSCAMP 2026 as they present seafood-focused Sustainability Lunch – Shrimp 101. Presented by Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch and featuring chefs Ned Bell, Bobby Milheron, Alex Chen, Andrea Alridge, Welbert Choi; these masters will carry the conversation about the current state of wild and farmed seafood.

Fresh produce from North Arm Farm, fabrications from the preceeding Shrimp 101 demo, and an array of ocean delights will form this meal. Observe from the sidelines, or jump in and get your hands in there to give a hand! You’ll be shoulder to shoulder with the pros as you learn more about this practical topic!

Ned Bell & Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch

Ned Bell is a well-known Canadian culinary talent who has forged a path as a chef, sustainable seafood advocate, keynote speaker and educator. As one of the country’s leading chefs, he uses his voice, outgoing personality, and indomitable spirit to stand up for the world’s lakes, oceans, rivers, in addition to hyper-local farming sustainability through brand ambassador roles. Based in British Columbia, Ned is the co-owner of Hatch Hospitality, Chef Ambassador at Buy BC and Ocean Wise, Culinary Director at Planetary Health, Board Member and Co-Chair of Sustainability at the Chefs Table Society, and as culinary and restaurant consultant at Hatch Hospitality Inc.

Chef Bobby Milheron, Wentworth Hospitality Group

Bobby Milheron began his culinary career on Canada’s East Coast, graduating from The Culinary Institute of Canada in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, before working in respected kitchens across New England and Nova Scotia. In 2008, he moved west, joining Chef Quang Dang at Vancouver’s Diva at the Met. He later reunited with Dang at West Restaurant before joining the opening team at Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar. In 2016, Bobby became Executive Chef at West, a role he held until its closure in 2019. Since 2020, he has served as Culinary Director of Wentworth Hospitality Group, overseeing its growing collection of Vancouver restaurants.

One of the country’s leading chefs, a cookbook author and a “farm-to-table” pioneer, James Walt continues to inspire his guests, creating compelling regional cuisine based on local, sustainable ingredients. A graduate of the Stratford Chefs School, his impressive culinary career spans across several of British Columbia’s leading restaurants including a four-year tenure at Sooke Harbour House and as opening chef to sister restaurant Blue Water Cafe in Vancouver. James was also Executive Chef to the Canadian Embassy in Rome, Italy; an experience that helped shape the way he cooks today.

James is Whistler’s only chef to cook at the celebrated James Beard House in New York City where he has performed on three separate occasions. He has been voted best chef in Whistler by Pique Newsmagazine and was inducted into the British Columbia Restaurant Association Hall of Fame in 2011.

James continues to oversee the kitchens of Araxi, The Cellar by Araxi and Bar Oso in addition to his new duties at Il Caminetto.

James lives in nearby Squamish where he works closely with local farmers and producers and personally selects the freshest ingredients featured on the Il Caminetto menu.

Welbert Choi – eatfish.ca

Chef Welbert Choi is a Vancouver-based chef with decades of culinary experience and a deep commitment to local, sustainable food. Born in Hong Kong and raised in North Burnaby, Chef Choi trained at Dubrulle Culinary Institute before building a career in Vancouver’s culinary scene. Today, he is the Executive Chef at Eatfish.ca, where he leads product development and oversees production, bringing his expertise and passion to every aspect of the business. He champions local, sustainable, flavourful and community-driven food, with a particular focus on British Columbia seafood. His cooking reflects a belief that great food can connect people, support local producers and create meaningful experiences around the table.

Mike Robbins

Mike Robbins, Chef and Owner of AnnaLena in Vancouver, BC.

Alex Chen – Wild Blue Restaurant + Cocktail Bar

Alex Chen serves as the Chef and Partner at Wild Blue Restaurant + Bar in Whistler. Under his leadership, Wild Blue Restaurant secured #2 Best New Restaurant Award from Air Canada enRoute, #4 on Canada’s 100 Best New Restaurants and #66 on Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants lists. A classically trained chef with a penchant for high-pressure culinary competitions, Chef Alex Chen led Team Canada to a top-10 finish at the 2013 Bocuse d’Or in Lyon, France. He achieved top honours at the annual Gold Medal Plates regional championships in Victoria, B.C., in 2015 and 2017. In 2018, he claimed the gold medal at the national Canadian Culinary Championships and received the “Chef of the Year” title at Vancouver Magazine’s Restaurant Awards. He was then the winner of the inaugural Iron Chef Canada competition. Alex was inducted into the BC Restaurant Hall of Fame in October 2024.

Zach Chan & Kai Koroll

Kai and Zac met while they were cracking open a Cactus Club in Edmonton and locked in fast—two people with the same hunger for food, service, and not playing small. They’d both come up in Kelowna with Cactus, then went their own ways as entrepreneurs, building restaurants and proving they could run the game. But one thing never changed: how they shared the work—loudly, directly—with whoever was willing to listen. Friends. Family. The community. And each other.