Hans Haveman and his wife, Heidi Rhodes, are the two H’s of this Santa Cruz, California–based purveyor of local, sustainable, and (as the name makes clear) fresh seafood. Specializing in local Monterey Bay catches such as sablefish (black cod), Dungeness crab, and California halibut, Hans and Heidi also source sustainably fished Alaskan salmon and exotic varieties such as sashimi-grade ahi (yellowfin tuna) and ono, and even meticulously farmed fish such as oysters and sturgeon.

A former commercial salmon fisherman who has been in and around fishing since he was a kid, Hans kick-started his own business when the salmon catches began to dwindle. Diversifying, and often working with small-scale fishermen (“Guys I went to elementary school with,” he says), the H & H team began to take its catch to farmers’ markets (now numbering 18 in California), started a CSS (Community Supported Seafood) subscription program, and remain an active supporter of the local fishing community.

For Hans, a life that didn’t involve fishing is unthinkable. Says Hans, “The ocean is in my blood. When I get too far from it my gills start to dry up.”