Dave’s Gourmet Albacore

Dave's Gourmet Albacore
Crista and Dave Greenberger
310A Coral Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
831-457-2250
Retail Store and Café Hours: 7 a.m. – 6 p.m., Monday – Saturday; 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sunday
crew@davesalbacore.com
www.davesalbacore.com
http://facebook.com/davesalbacore

Markets: Aptos, Monterey and Carmel

Products: Gourmet canned salmon, albacore and shellfish; canned clam, albacore and smoked salmon chowders; vacuum-sealed frozen salmon, albacore, shrimp, scallops, petrale sole, haddock cod, halibut, calamari steaks and sashimi-grade ahi filets, smoked fish, crab cakes; and gift packages.

History/Philosophy: Dave’s Gourmet Albacore, purveyor of premium line-caught fish, is a Santa Cruz-based company that began at the Aptos and Salinas farmers market in 1999. Known for offering a wide variety of tuna and salmon from the waters off the coast of Washington, Canada and Alaska, Dave’s Gourmet Albacore is owned and operated by the husband-and-wife team of Dave and Crista Greenberger.

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Dave Greenberger loved the sea and could always be found playing on or around fishing boats. He mastered fishing “the old way” and started fishing commercially as a young man. He began canning his albacore in the 1970s.

Dave Greenberger employs the most ecologically responsible methods available to harvest salmon and albacore and is strictly old school when it comes to fishing, avoiding drift net techniques that are more efficient but cause harm to dolphins and other sea life. All the fish are caught using “hook and line,” and then only the highest quality fish is hand selected.

Crista Greenberger, whose lengthy list of responsibilities includes sales and marketing, designing labels and selling at all of the farmers markets, explained the notable flavor differences between Dave’s Gourmet Albacore brand of canned fish and the mass-produced products that have been around for decades. “We pack our fish raw with no added oil, salt or seasonings. The fish is cooked in the canning process, unlike most canned fish, which is cooked before packing as well. Essentially, the fish is cooked twice using that method. All of the water found in our products comes from the fish itself.”

Dave’s Gourmet Albacore has been in its Santa Cruz facility on Coral St., across from Costco, since 2000. The 1920s-era canning equipment utilized for the business was purchased from a fruit packer in Kirkland, Wash., and then moved to Santa Cruz. Crista attended a special six-month “canning school” at Arizona State University, where she received certification to oversee canning operations.

Dave’s Gourmet Albacore has been featured on CNN and has been widely acclaimed by a variety of publications, including The New York Times, San Francisco Examiner, Men’s Health magazine, Food & Wine, and Cooking Light among others. The publications all rave about the quality of the product and the sustainable method Dave uses to catch the fish. You can read more about this on Dave's website at: www.davesalbacore.com/newsroom.php.

Items available from the farmers markets include a wide variety of canned tuna, salmon and chowders as well as vacuum-sealed frozen salmon, albacore, shrimp, calamari steaks and sashimi-grade ahi filets, crab cakes and smoked salmon, all of which Crista is happy to recommend a tasty way to prepare.

Or, drop by their retail outlet and café to check out their full product line as well as various condiments and sauces. The café serves a wide variety of salmon, tuna and crab dishes as well as chowders, sushi and even breakfast. Fish and chips are made with either albacore or Alaskan Halibut, instead of the traditional cod. Don’t miss the photographs of Dave in action on the high seas or his vintage outboard motor collection, too! Future plans for the café include expanded hours, the installation of widescreen TVs as well as the addition of a selection of Santa Cruz Mountain wines and locally brewed beers on tap.