The story of Acadian Sturgeon and Caviar Inc. begins with Cornel Ceapa, owner and president of the Eastern Canadian company that specializes in both wild harvest and aquaculture of the bottom-feeding fish.

Ceapa and his wife Dorina, a co-owner, were in Vancouver promoting his business at Chica restaurant on East Broadway, where resident chefs used his products to come up with a themed menu serving items including sturgeon sliders and caviar-topped hor d’oeuvres. There was even a booth where people could spoon caviar atop three varieties of fresh oysters. While guests were sampling the food, he spoke a bit about how their roots.

“In New Brunswick, we landed as new immigrants from Romania after I finished a Ph.D in Sturgeon Biology in France, in the Bordeaux area. We were following our dreams — and our dreams were actually sturgeon, if you can believe it. There are not many people that do a Ph.D in sturgeon and then really try to build a life around it,” he said.

In 2005, the couple started up Acadian, which is a sustainable hatchery and aquaculture facility. It takes about 10 years for sturgeon to reach a harvestable size and for the eggs to be ready or caviar production, so in-between, the company also uses traditional fishing methods to catch wild Atlantic sturgeon.

The entire fish, from the liver to bone marrow, is available for purchase, in accordance to their nose-to-tail policy of utilizing every part. On the website, there are recipes incorporating various cuts and off-cuts in the creation of dishes such as Dorina’s Bouillabaise and Blinis Demidoff with Acadian Caviar.

Among Acadian’s most popular products are fresh caviar, smoked sturgeon meat and smoked sturgeon pâté. Visit their online store for a complete list and prices.