Seaver has been lauded as a leader in sustainability by Seafood Choices Alliance. He was recently named a Fellow with the Blue Ocean Institute, in order to help link the environmental community with real-life, delicious applications of an eco-friendly ethic. He also works with the Ocean Now program at the National Geographic Society, to influence the practices of large corporations and consumers alike toward a more responsible and sustainable sourcing ethic. Locally, Barton is an appointed member of the Mayor's Council on Nutrition in Washington, DC, where he is helping to craft a wellness policy for District residents. Barton’s childhood in Washington, DC was centered around the dinner table, and emphasized the importance of community. Seaver attended the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, where after finishing his formal education, he stayed on as a graduate fellow in the meat and fish departments. With unlimited access to nearly every commercially available fish, he came to love the versatility of seafood. His restaurant experience also continued to grow, with positions at the Four Seasons in Chicago and Finch Tavern in New York. But soon Seaver would trade the kitchens of the U.S. for a life-changing international escapade. Having been bitten by the travel bug, Barton found himself in southern Spain as the chef of a family-run resort. The casual, ingredient-based cooking would prove to be an important influence in his perception of food and community. When the off-season came, Seaver hopped on a boat to Morocco and landed in a different world in the small seaside village of Essaouiera. There he took part in generations-old fishing methods and became a part of a community whose survival was directly linked to the oceans. This had a great impact on his belief that sustainability is, at its root, not only an ecological matter, but a humanitarian issue. Upon returning to the States, Barton worked with renowned Chef José Andres at his small plates mecca, Jaleo, then he moved on to revamp the kitchen of Café Saint-Ex followed by sister restaurant Bar Pilar. In 2007, he turned his sights to Georgetown and opened Hook, a restaurant focused on sustainable seafood. Throughout the course of a single year the restaurant served 78 species of seafood, and Seaver’s devotion to the sustainable ethic earned him countless spots in the national media. He also earned the title of Rising Star Chef from the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington. Keeping with the momentum, he opened a casual, New England-style seafood shack called TackleBox. While these restaurants provided an excellent stage to spread the word about the plight of our oceans, Barton left in 2008 to pursue a wider audience for his message. While sustainability has largely been assigned to seafood and agriculture, Barton’s work expands far beyond the dining table to include socio-economic and cultural issues. Locally, he pursues solutions to these problems through DC Central Kitchen, an organization that fights hunger not with food, but with personal empowerment, job training and life skills. Barton is also developing a forthcoming PBS series, titled Turning the Tide, that helps tell the story of our common resources through the communion we all share – dinner. Barton lives in Washington DC with his wife and their two kitties.
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