Nancy L. Abrams

Nancy L. Abrams, 47, an expert on fish who headed numerousconsumer information programs on seafood, died Tuesday at EdgewaterHospital.

During her career, she was often featured in newspapers,including the Chicago Sun-Times.

Since 1980, she had been employed by the Chicago Fish House, 1250W. Division, a wholesale company that supplies seafood torestaurants, supermarkets, hotels and institutions in 38 states andPuerto Rico. In April, 1989, she was named marketing/culinarydirector of the company.

"It's a great loss for the seafood industry," said JackMitasakopoulos, chairman and owner of Chicago Fish House, a wholesaleand retail company. "She really brought a new dimension to theseafood world. She was a great communicator."

In 1987, she was appointed to the 15-member National Fish andSeafood Promotional Council, serving as its chairman in 1990. The15-member group was established to promote the U.S. fishing industrythrough consumer education and research.

Miss Abrams, of Evanston, received a bachelor of science degreein education from Northwestern University.

From 1964 to 1974, she taught elementary school in the northsurburbs, focusing on developing programs of individualizedinstruction for students. She also taught cooking classes.

During that period, she pursued advanced courses in cooking. Sheattended the Cordon Bleu in London and studied with internationallynoted chef Guiliano Bugialli in Florence, Italy, and at the Wei-ChwanCooking School in Taipei, Taiwan, and in Hong Kong.

Before joining Chicago Fish House, she taught at a variety ofcooking schools in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin and was aconsultant to several appliance manufacturers.

Mrs. Abrams owned and managed the former Contemporary CookingTechniques, an educational consulting and catering company that onceprepared wholesale entrees for sale by Neiman Marcus.

Survivors include her parents, Heidi and Ed Kohlhauser of WinterHaven, Fla., and a brother, Richard Kohlhauser.

Memorial services will be at 3 p.m. tomorrow at Jeanne VailChapel, 1870 Sheridan Rd., Evanston, on the Northwestern campus.Burial will be private.