sundance

Owner, Santa Monica Seafood

BIO

When describing Michael Cigliano's family background and how that relates to his current role as Executive Vice President of Santa Monica Seafood, one might say he has taken to his career like a fish to water. Born into one of Southern California's most reputable seafood families, it seemed only natural that one day Cigliano would go on to develop and run what has become the extraordinarily respected and emulated company that Santa Monica Seafood is today.

Santa Monica Seafood is owned by the Cigliano family, who trace their California roots back to the 19th century when their great-grandfather John arrived from Naples, Italy and settled in San Pedro as a fisherman. In 1939, John's son Jack, along with younger brother, Frank, founded the Santa Monica Seafood Company. Over the next 42 years, brothers Jack and Frank built Santa Monica Seafood into one of Southern California's top seafood distributors. At their first location on the Santa Monica Pier, they sold halibut, shark, white sea bass, tuna, sardines, anchovies and live spiny lobsters. They also served up the "catch of the day" (from whatever the local fishermen brought in) as well as cooked lobsters to the many hungry tourists visiting the pier. In 1981, Anthony Cigliano purchased the company from Uncles Jack and Frank, although he had already spent his entire career in the seafood business.

Upon graduating from the University of San Diego with a degree in economics and finance, Michael Cigliano decided to join his family in overseeing operations for Santa Monica Seafood. Like all family members, he worked in every facet of the business. This included stints in retail and wholesale operations before moving into sales. Over the last 27 years, Cigliano's vast knowledge of the seafood industry has garnered high profile accounts and alliances with top chefs throughout the United States.

In addition to his work with the company, Cigliano has also served on the board of the California Fisheries and Seafood Institute for the past 16 years. More recently he has been instrumental in Santa Monica Seafood's efforts in the area of sustainability and resource management and he currently sits on the steering committee for the Sustainable Seafood Forum at the Aquarium of the Pacific. Additionally, Michael has appeared as a guest on several broadcast networks including the Food Network, Fine Living, ABC, NBC and CBS national and local news as well as "Visiting with Huell Houser" on PBS.