Tollef Olson

Long before Tollef Olson founded Ocean Approved, his Maine-based kelp company, in 2006, he was patiently waiting for kelp’s breakout moment on the American food market. It took thirty long years. What Olson, a Maine native and serious foodie, did in the meantime was to circle the world’s oceans: fishing for hire, salvaging shipwrecks, and chasing down big waves. Kelp was always on his mind. He knew that most of Maine’s indigenous coastal peoples had used kelp as a food staple in past centuries and that it was delicious when married with local shellfish and vegetables. Now at long last, and with a lot of help from Olson, kelp is having another moment on the culinary stage.