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Sponsoring the Seafood Soirée is a New Bedford fishing industry rite of passage. Show your commitment to preserving our story by sponsoring our largest annual fundraiser.
This annual event celebrates the bounty of the sea. Guests will enjoy local seafood in the nation’s most valuable fishing port, while watching the boats as they head out to sea and return with their catch. Taste more than a dozen dishes featuring local seafood and seasonal ingredients, prepared by the area’s finest chefs. Tickets include two beverages (choose from a selection of wine, beer, and signature cocktails). The event also features a “Fluke and Flounder” chance auction, a live auction, live music, and more!
This year’s gala will include both a live auction and a chance auction. Attendees can bid on dozens of unique items and experiences including day trips, nautical adventures, tickets to an upcoming Red Sox game, and more. You must be present at at the event to participate, so don’t wait, purchase your Soirée tickets today! All proceeds support New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center. Check out the list of 2026 Soirée supporters below to see a full list of this year’s auction donors.
Meet the 2026 Chefs & Restaurants
Chefs Mike Andrews & Rocky Costa, Costa’s Kitchen
Chef Craig Bazinet, Merrill’s on the Waterfront
Chef Chris Bentley, Fathoms Waterfront Bar and Grille
Chef Henry Bousquet, Greater NB Vocational High School
Chef Jose Cabral, Caldeiras
Chefs Chris Cronin, Murmur HIFI Lounge
Chef Dan Delancy, Bucatino Restaurant & Wine Bar
Chef Aaron DeRego, The Red Dory
Chef Hiroki, Cisco Kitchen & Bar, New Bedford
Dale Leavitt, West Island Oysters
Chef Matt Lerish, Foley Fish
Chef Mike Melo, M&C Catering
Chef Herb Read, Raw Seafood
Chef Josh Riazi, Servedwell Hospitality
Chef Noah Schipper and Sous Chef Chris Chaples, Turk’s Seafood
Chef Shawn Van Laarhoven, Round the Bend Farm
Chef James Weare, Bocca
Thank you to our 2026 sponsors:
Captain Members:
Finest Kind Sponsors:
Mate Members:
Galley Cook Members:
Highliner Sponsors:
Atlantic Brokerage House, Atlantic Capes Fisheries Inc., BayCoast Bank, Bristol County Savings Bank, Brown & Brown Insurance Services, Chris’ Electronics, Compass Marine Group, Eastern Fisheries, Inc., Edie & Marie Boat Settlement, Fiber Optic Center, Fishermen’s Market Seafood Outlet, Foley Fish, Jardim & Marotta LLC, Majestic Fishing / F/V Oceanic, New Bedford Ship Supply Co., Inc., Nordic Fisheries, Inc., North Coast Seafoods, Northern Wind LLC, NWD Trucking, P&J Services, Inc., Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP, Reidar’s Manufacturing, Inc., Skip’s Marine, Inc., Tichon Seafood Corporation
Skipper Sponsors:
Adler Pollock & Sheehan P.C., Dockside Repairs, Inc., East Coast Seafood, Kyler’s Catch Seafood Market and Kitchen, Markey & Walsh Attorneys at Law, Pine Hill Equipment, Inc., Profishant, Inc., Quality Custom Packing, Inc., Sakonnet Consulting Group, The Town Dock, The Walters Nixon Group, Inc., W Trading Inc.
2026 Seafood Soirée Auction Donors:
Warren Alexander, Merna Alexander, Stacy Alexander-Nevells, Yasmine Andre-Blatchley, F/V Cynthia C 2, Jeff DuBois, Kaylen Duquette, Dave Frank, Nancy Harding, Steve Holler, Deb Kelsey, LaFrance Hospitality, Scott Lang, Nina Mach, Madeleine’s Mud Pie Studio, Jeff Pagliuca, Mike Pol, Sangha New Bedford, Chuck Smiler, Ed Sylvia, Westport Rivers, and Your Theatre, Inc.
In addition to the in-person gala, we hosted an online auction. The auction featured dozens of unique experiences and items. Bidding began at noon on Tuesday, September 19 and ended at noon on Friday, September 29.
[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”15px”][vc_empty_space][vc_btn title=”Click here to view the 2023 Auction!” color=”danger” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Ffishingheritagecenter.org%2Fauction%2F|title:Auction|target:_blank”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”15px”][vc_separator border_width=”4″][vc_column_text]The New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center is dedicated to telling the story of the fishing industry past, present and future, through exhibits, program and archives. The Center is a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax deductible to the extent of the law.
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