Eat Local Week Keynote with Karen Bell of A. P. Bell Fish Co.

Learn about the abundant harvest the commercial fisherman of Cortez bring to our community. Sunshine Community Harvest in cooperation with the Unitarian Universalists of Sarasota Green Team invite you to join us at this exciting Eat Local Week 2026 Keynote presentation. This year’s theme, The Farmer and the Fisher, reflects an intentional expansion of conversations around the importance of local agriculture, regional seafood, environmental stewardship, and the relationships that sustain a resilient local food economy, to include both the land and the water, recognizing that the future of local food in our region is inseparable from the health of our farms, Sarasota Bay, and the Gulf. Karen Bell is the third-generation owner of A.P. Bell Fish Co. — and the owner of Star Fish Company seafood market and dockside restaurant, as well as part-owner of Tide Tables. She is also a founding member of FISH, the Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage, which oversees the 100-acre FISH Preserve east of Cortez village. She was also named the 2019 Manatee County Agriculturist of the Year. She’s passionate about maintaining Cortez and its fishing culture that impacts so many in the community and throughout the state, and she is eager to share with us how the fishing village of Cortez has become a major hub for harvesting seafood sustainable. Come learn more about this 100 year old seafood enterprise right in our backyard. And have your taste buds ready, she is bringing a tasty treat for all. Learn more about Karen: https://styleblueprint.com/everyday/karen-bell-ap-bell-fish-co/ https://www.thesouthernfork.com/karen-bell https://www.bradentongulfislands.com/blogs/celebrating-cortezs-iconic-a-p-bell-fish-co/ https://www.floridatrend.com/article/31328/karen-bell-is-a-florida-icon/ https://youtu.be/E_OVGwRuYmQ?si=s57aDpDvc_VXWI_n