Our Brazilian Seafood Stew Brings Out the Competitive Streak in our Executive Team

You probably won’t be surprised to learn that food is a big topic of conversation here at Sun Basket HQ. It was in the course of one such watercooler conversation that our CEO, Adam Zbar, and Head of Marketing, Amy Endemann, discovered a mutual love of moqueca, the Brazilian seafood stew featured on next week’s menu. Both Adam and Amy have traveled to Brazil and consider the stew their signature dish. It’s what they bring to potlucks, and serve at dinner parties when they’re looking to make an impression. Since you don’t launch a fast-growing startup company without a strong competitive streak pumping through your veins, Adam and Amy challenged each other to a moqueca cook-off. 

Moqueca originated in the coastal state of Espirito Santo, and traveled north to the state of Bahia, though the ingredients vary regionally. In Bahia, moqueca is made with coconut milk and red-palm oil. Amy’s is a riff on that style. Adam’s version, inspired by the original Espirito Santo recipe, is heavy on the garlic and free of both coconut and palm oil. 

Though they both played to win, in the end our group of judges (i.e. everyone else in the office ) declared a tie. The stews were too different and just too good to settle on one. Since then, Brazilian Fish Stew has become a favorite on our menu. Chef Justine likes to run Amy’s version in the winter, and puts Adam’s recipe on the menu in the summer when she can load it up with fresh tomatoes.