Steve Phelps is an award-winning chef, avid recreational fisherman, and one of the country's most committed voices on sustainable seafood.

Phelps honed his craft in top Cleveland restaurants before moving to Sarasota more than a decade ago. The transition from freshwater to saltwater changed everything — introducing him to the ocean's expansive resources and igniting a mission that has defined his career ever since.

For fifteen years, that mission lived at Indigenous, his Sarasota restaurant that earned a reputation as one of America's most thoughtful sustainable seafood destinations.

His accolades reflect both sides of that work: multiple James Beard "Best Chef South" semifinalist recognitions in 2014 and 2015, Seafood Watch Chef Ambassador, founding chef member of the Coalition of Sustainable Aquaculture, a Niman Ranch Scholarship Award, Edible Sarasota's Local Hero Award in 2013 and 2014, and Edible Community's National Sustainability Award in 2020.

As The Aquaculture Chef, Steve is taking his work beyond the restaurant kitchen: traveling, consulting, educating, and advocating for the farmers, fishermen, and aquaculture pioneers shaping the future of food. He has traveled to Vietnam's Mekong Delta with the Monterey Bay Aquarium, worked alongside aquaculture operations like Pine Island Redfish, and collaborated with the Coalition for Sustainable Aquaculture to push for responsible seafood policy at scale.

Good food starts with knowing where it comes from. Steve Phelps has spent his career proving it.