In the face of thousands of restaurant closures, we have made a significant portion of our product collection - normally only reserved for the nation’s best chefs and restaurants - available to order for delivery at wholesale pricing.
These oysters are available for delivery on Thursday, March 19th and Friday, March 20th ONLY.
Farmer: Bubba Frisby
Location: Fisherman’s Island, VA
How they’re grown: These oysters start their life in a nutrient-rich part of the Bay on Virginia’s Eastern shore. They go into bags on racks for a while and are then planted directly on the bottom, just like ours at Island Creek. Once they reach maturity, they are moved 70 miles south to tip of the eastern shore of the Virginia National Wildlife refuge to get blasted with super salty, cold water for a few months.
How they taste: These oysters are incredibly vegetal. From celery to raw spinach-- you’ll find it here. They have a distinct savory walnut finish, with bready and yeasty hints. They are unusually salty for a Virginia oyster because of their time spent on the ocean side of the Chesapeake. Combine this with a strong shell inherited from the Island Creeks stellar genetic pool, and you have something entirely original.
Why they’re unique: These guys have a great hatchery and breeding program down there, so we decided to do something that has never been done before. We crossed our Island Creek oysters with some of their Virginia oysters to make babies that have all the best qualities of both. Hence the name, Northern Cross. It’s like a labradoodle (only it tastes much better). We are the only ones selling it in the country and don’t know of any other cross-breeding programs that are this unique.
Sizes: Regular (3”) Selects (2”)
Story: We’ve had a longstanding relationship with this farm, managed by a guy named Bubba Frisbee. Bubba is not only one of the nicest people we’ve ever met, but he could also easily crush us up into a little ball and stuff us in a trash can. The northern cross is a big departure for the Chincoteague team given it’s boutique nature and hands on process. They are the largest grower of the clams in the world! We have a lot of respect for their impressive operation.
