EDIBLE: Ruffo Ibarra riffs on Mexico, America and seafood ahead of Fiesta del Mar appearance at the Aquarium.

The day this issue hits the streets is National Farmer’s Day, National Gumbo Day and National Savings Day. October is also Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, National Chili Month, National Cookie Month, Rhubarb Month, Vegetarian Month and American Cheese Month.

On the more serious side, it’s also Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Celiac Disease Awareness Month, Domestic Violence Awareness Month (see p. 22) and Sustainable Seafood Month.

At Monterey Bay Aquarium, the latter means additional oomph to circulate Seafood Watch information, which figures into Fiesta del Mar this Sunday, Oct. 15.

The day will feature MEXIKA (“Sounds of Ancient Mexico”), Yaocuauhtli Aztec dancers, a harpist and MBA-grade arts and crafts. The 11am Open Sea, 3pm penguin and the 4pm Kelp Forest programs will be presenting bilingually in English and Spanish, and all children 12 and under are admitted free 10am-5pm. (It is Bilingual Child Month, after all.)

Ruffo Ibarra is one of three standout Mexican chefs who will appear to do demos, whipping up a corn and sea urchin chowder as part of a 1pm session on the Great Tide Pool Deck. (The other two chefs are Xavier Pérez Stone [11:45am] and Juan Pablo Loza [3pm], also working with proteins rated Best Choice by Seafood Watch.)

The Weekly took the occasion as an opportunity to spotlight Seafood Watch partner restaurants (see the food blog, mcweekly.com/edible) and to riff with Ibarra about his perspective on the ocean’s bounty – and the peril it faces – plus Mexico-California flavor crossover.

He founded Oryx Capital in Tijuana’s Aviación neighborhood after time with visionary chef Javiar Placencia at Michelin-two-star Romesco & Cenedor de Amos in Catabria, Spain, adding a popular speakeasy spinoff behind it. He just returned from a few months at Michelin three-star Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy with legendary Chef Massimo Bottura. He’s one of the most inspired chefs in the most interesting up-and-coming food city on the continent.

“He’s doing in Tijuana what we’re doing here,” says Aquarium Exec Chef Matt Beaudin, who travels to TJ for the Baja Culinary Fest next week and returns later to further ongoing work with a local orphanage. “He’s progressive, serious about locality and real farmer involvement – hands-on – and he’s not afraid to speak out in the interest of sustainability.”

Here’s what else the 33-year-old Ibarra, the man behind creations like octopus-chorizo mac ‘n’ cheese, spoke out on (without knowing this publishes on National Freethought Day):

On growing up on the busiest border crossing in the world: For me it’s one region. There’s no actual wall. It’s so fused now. It inspired my restaurant’s style. There’s great wine on both sides, great craft beer and some of the best produce in the world. You cook in Baja and California, it’s cheating. Everything is so fresh. If you don’t mess with it, it’s already really good.

On Seafood Watch: They have all the research. It’s sustainability for dummies. I’m like a little kid, it’s very easy for me to get excited, especially when I don’t know [a new fish]. I’ll go, “I don’t know this one!,” research where I can find it and start playing with it.

On what inspired him most from Modena: It was about learning the operation. How does the best restaurant in the world operate? How do they manage the team? All these details in operating a restaurant are very complex. I got inspired.

On food and chefs as change agents: In recent years, TV is playing a big part on the reach a cook or chef can have. Everybody wants to be a cook. Everybody loves to eat. That gives us a lot of reach. It’s why something like Seafood Watch is so brilliant. We can tell people just download it and use it. That’s all you have to do, and they’ll believe a professional like they would their accountant with money.

On what bugs him: Genetically modified corn. That’s the biggest one as a Mexican cook, since it’s been with us since pre-Hispanic times. We copied, politically, from the U.S., because [Big Corn] is a big money maker and you can put corn syrup in everything. Like ketchup. That is a bad step to take. I hope it’s not too late to change things.

On what gives him hope: This trend of eating well and balanced – people actually caring about what they eat. When we were 10, we never would’ve thought of eating raw fish. We went out for pizza or nachos or McDonald’s. This new generation – my nieces are 15 and 16 – say, “I like this place, this sushi, this place that is super healthy.” They’re eating fresh octopus, fresh fish. They’ll eat a burger, but not at a place that’s irresponsible.

On his favorite comfort food: My favorite dish in this world is papas con chorizo, potatoes fried with pico de gallo and chorizo – that gets absorbed by the potatoes – with a fried egg, sunny side up, on top. My mom would ask every Saturday what I wanted for breakfast, and it was that, every time.

On what he would tell Donald Trump: Number one, open his mind. Someone who eats steak with ketchup, who’s been eating ketchup his whole life, who’s so addicted to sugar – he eats everything with ketchup – I’d say open your palate to possibilities. Give people a chance to show what they can do.

On Mexico’s response to recent earthquakes: Instead of chaos and insecurity it was people helping people. My kid donated his toys! It was a very strong moment for Mexico.

On restaurants’ role in recovery: Restaurants are part of the help. And that should not end because it’s not trending in the news. We should keep helping as much as we can.