GAINESVILLE, VA. – Forever Oceans has named renowned chef Nick DiGiovanni as a panelist for Forever Oceans Kahala KlashTM, a competition that pits eight student finalists from The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) against one another in a cook-off to earn scholarships. The event will be held at the CIA’s Hyde Park, NY campus and will be live streamed for viewing on Nov. 7, at 3 p.m. EST.  

Chef DiGiovanni will join Chef Andrew Zimmern, Chef Brendan Walsh, dean of culinary arts at the CIA, Chefs Rick Moonen (a CIA graduate) and Mark Allison as well as the Publisher of Flavor and The Menu, Cathy Holley in the culinary competition. Chef Jay Ziobrowski, aka “Jay Z,” will serve as emcee of the live streaming event.  

The eight finalists were chosen from more than 40 applicants for the competition were chosen to compete for more than $10,000 in CIA scholarships and recognition as one of America’s top student chefs. 

Three finalists, Nadia Gonzales, Justin Kramer, and Bryce Gordon are from the college’s Texas campus. The remaining finalists are from its New York campus and include Colin Shillingburg, Gakuyu Suzuki, Maximiliano Righimal, Mehak Rawal, and Helen Zhao. 

“Chef Nick DiGiovanni is one of best-known chefs in the world,” said Monica San Miguel, Forever Oceans’ chief brand officer. “Nick was a finalist on FOX Network’s MasterChef Season 10, was selected to Forbes 30 under 30, and has more than 11 million followers on social media. We’re thrilled to have him inspire these young future chefs in our competition.”  

Forever Oceans was recently named as one of America’s most innovative seafood companies by Seafood Source. It operates offshore enclosures in Panama, Indonesia, Brazil and at its Research and Technology Center in Hawaii.  

The company terms its fish Forever Oceans “Kahala” because of its higher Omega 3 content and versatility for menus. The company nurtures and monitors the sashimi-grade fish remotely using robots. 

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