The creators of Long Island Restaurant Week have teamed up with two passionate oyster lovers to launch the first annual Long Island Oyster Week October 10 through 15. Richard Remmer of The Snapper Inn Waterfront Restaurant and Chuck Westfall, president of Long Island Oyster Growers Association, teamed up with Nicole Castillo of Long Island Restaurant Week to create the promotional week honoring Long Island’s tasty bivalve.
Participating restaurants will offer oyster specials sourced from participating oyster growers. Specials range from $1 oysters, $2 oysters and an oyster sampler to oyster appetizers and oyster entrees. Restaurants can offer one or all of these oyster specials, all of which will be listed on the Long Island Oyster Week website at oysterweekli.com.
Participating restaurants include Bayberry, Calissa, Juniper, Mirabelle, Nantuckets, Oakdale Brewhouse, Salt & Barrel, Spuntino Wine Bar, Bell & Anchor, The Snapper Inn, The Wharf Oakdale, and View.
Long Island Oyster Week was designed to highlight some of the world’s best shellfish at some of the top restaurants on Long Island. Richard Remmer, one of Long Island Oyster Week’s founders and owner of The Snapper Inn shared, “Oyster Week is an opportunity to showcase world class oysters that are grown locally. The growers will be delivering the best they have; literally boat to table. Customers will have an opportunity to enjoy, compare, and learn about oysters from all around Long Island. Chefs will have an opportunity to showcase creative recipes using the freshest local oysters.”
“Oysters just like wines, take their flavor from the location. Long Island has been known for over 100 years as one of the finest in the world. Just as wines from the Napa Valley and Bordeaux are great because of where the grapes are grown, so are oysters from the Great South Bay, Peconic Bay and Long Island Sound. Who hasn’t heard of Blue Point oysters,” continued Remmer. “My family’s life for five generations has been intertwined with Long Island oysters. My grandfather’s first job in America was for an oyster company. I am ecstatic that our great Long Island, restaurants, and our amazing oyster growers, are getting together to celebrate the best oysters in the world.”
A key component of the event are the Long Island oyster growers. Chuck Westfall, president of the Long Island Oyster Growers Association, has coordinated the growers to participate allowing them to form new relationships with Long Island restaurants. “Long Island oyster growers are proud to present to you the very best oysters from our many growing regions. We have reestablished in both quality and taste an oyster that hearkens back to Long Islands rich oyster and shellfish industries. We are also proud of the significant environmental benefits that oyster farming provides to our local waters. LI Oyster Week is the very best way for oyster lovers to sample a variety of our local oysters served in a variety of delicious ways. The growers invite you to sample Long Islands freshest seafood served by Long Islands very best chefs. Oysters, good for you, good for the environment, and delicious to boot,” shared Westfall.
Oyster growers on Long Island participating include Oysterponds Shellfish Co., North Fork Big Oyster Co., Founders Bay Oyster Farm, Thatch Island Oyster Farm, Eel Town Oysters, Hamptons Oyster Company, Great Gun Oyster Co., and Montauk Pearls.
Long Island Oyster Week will also support Half Shells for Habitat, is an island-wide partnership that collects waste oyster shells from restaurants for the purpose of returning them to Long Island’s estuarine waters through oyster restoration and other habitat improvement projects.
“We are very excited for Long Island Oyster Week! Any event that highlights Long Island oysters is a great asset to Long Island’s marine ecosystems. More oysters eaten means more oyster shells collected that go back into our waters to restore our water quality. We are honored to be a part of the event,” shared Maureen Dunn, director, Half Shells for Habitat Oyster Shell Recovery Program, Water Quality Scientist, Seatuck Environmental Association.