Oysterfest 2022
By Virginia Bullington
Photos by Sean Davis
People love raw oysters but nobody could have predicted the zeal seen at Oysterfest 2022. By 11:45am there was a line winding down Bartlett Farm Road to enter Cisco Brewery where the event was held.
Emil Bender of Pocomo Meadow Oysters and Hang Ten Raw Baw
Almost 650 tickets were sold in advance with space left for walk-ins, “We never could have guessed how many people would want to show up first thing.” Said Nantucket Shellfish Association Executive Director Samantha Denette.“It is amazing that so many people showed up so early, that is a huge win, but it was a crush at the beginning!”
While the Nantucket Land Council and the Nantucket Shellfish Association had collaborated in 2019 on an event at the Great Harbor Yacht Club, Oysterfest 2022 was the first of its kind in terms of style and size.
Chase Bomeisler of Shucktown Raw Bar presenting Island Oysters from farmer Mac Raith
“We’ve never done an event that big or at that location. It was a lot!” said Denette.
General admission tickets ranged from $50-55 and included a free t-shirt and 12 freshly shucked oysters. There were five raw bars arranged in a horseshoe under the tent, allowing people to taste each farm’s oyster individually and experience their different flavor profiles.
In the first hour and a half, the Shucktown Raw Bar alone went through nearly 1,000 oysters, and Emil Bender of Pocomo Meadow Farm reported that he and a rotating cast of helping hands opened 2,400 oysters over the course of the day.
Simon Edwardes of Fifth Bend Oysters
Representing the full palette of farms and raw bars on Nantucket was central to the goal of the event, which was to celebrate and spread awareness of the local oyster farms on Nantucket and allow the public to interact with farmers.
“Normally when you have oysters at a raw bar or a restaurant you just see a farm name on a menu, and you might have heard of Pocomo, or you might have heard of Fifth Bend, but how unique and cool is it for people to actually get to meet oyster farmers themselves?” said Denette.
Matt Herr of Grey Lady Oysters
Oysterfest 2022 was also wildly successful in terms of attracting attendees who may have been previously unfamiliar with the Nantucket Shellfish Association and local aquaculture, by virtue of it being hosted in partnership with Cisco.
While the ambitions of Oysterfest were met and exceeded in many respects, there is also plenty of room for growth going forward.
Chuck Connors of Great Harbor Oysters
“Ideally in the future we could grow this out to be a more robust multi-day offering, so you would still get to have a large-scale and fun event at Cisco, but also have oyster farm tours where people really get to meet the farmers and see the farms, or host dinners that feature oysters, farmers, and local chefs for the true oyster-enthusiasts of the crowd.”
Ultimately Oysterfest 2022 was also litmus test to gauge how much of an appetite the public had for oyster-centered events, and the answer came through loud and clear: An insatiable one.
