New Wave Foods announces celebrity chef brand partnership

New York City, U.S.A.-based shellfish analog producer New Wave Foods has signed on a celebrity chef as a brand representative.

In a press release, New Wave Foods said Brian Duffy will become a brand partner, creating recipes and social media content supporting the brand, and making appearances representing New Wave Foods. He is also slated to join the upcoming New Wave Foods #GiveAShrimp campaign to raise awareness of sustainable plant-based seafood. Duffy has appeared on Bar Rescue, The Today Show, Food Network, and HGTV.

"New Wave Shrimp is an exciting product that tastes just like ocean shrimp but widens the plate with its plant-based appeal," Duffy said. "Plus, the products partner well with rubs, sauces, and marinades in hot shrimp dishes, which opens it up to so many possibilities that I'm eager to explore and share with restaurant operators around the country."

"We're excited to see what chef Duffy will create in the kitchen. I'm also thrilled to have him join our larger campaign to raise awareness on the necessity for ocean sustainability," New Wave Foods Co-Founder and CEO Michelle Wolf said. "The timing could not be better, as consumer interest in sustainably sourced ocean products continues. We can show operators the delicious possibilities plant-based shrimp can offer to attract diners looking for on trend options to meet the growing interest in more mindful eating."

New Wave Foods became offering its plant-based shrimp analog to restaurant chains and commercial foodservice operators in 2021 and is planning to release other plant-based shellfish products soon, including lobster, scallops, and crab analogs.

In a 2021 Series A financing round, New Wave Foods netted funding from Tyson Ventures – the venture capital arm of Tyson Foods, Inc. – which first invested in the company In 2019, along with New Enterprise Associates and Evolution VC Partners.

Photo courtesy of New Wave Foods