Visitors can hear the story of every oyster from seed to shuck at Blue Island Oyster Bar & Seafood in Denver.
That’s as a result of Sean Huggard, Founder and President of Shucking Good Hospitality, at all times needed to deliver an genuine oyster bar to the world. And, he was in a position to understand that dream after having a beer with longtime good friend Chris Quartuccio, founding father of Lengthy-Island-based Blue Island Oyster Farm, at a seafood convention in Boston.
Huggard shared his need to open a seafood-focused restaurant that partnered with an oyster farm and Quartuccio responded that he had been desirous about opening a restaurant, too, however didn’t need to handle the day-to-day. This serendipitous change led to the pair teaming and the group now proudly owning its seafood provide chain.
“That fast dialog grew to become the muse for what Blue Island Oyster Bar and Shucking Good Hospitality ultimately grew to become, mentioned Huggard. “Proudly owning the farm permits us to manage high quality from what we wish to name ‘dock to dish.’ That stage of transparency and management units us aside and is one thing few eating places can supply, creating a real coastal expertise in a landlocked state.”
Proudly owning extra of the availability chain provides layers of duty, however managing it themselves ensures consistency, the freshest product doable, and the flexibility to inform a real story about the place the meals comes from, Huggard identified.
“We handle logistics and stock with very brief shelf life, and the complicated sourcing course of for oysters from Lengthy Island and different premium growers coast to coast. Timing, provide administration, and workforce coaching must be flawless so that each oyster, lobster, or crab leg arrives at peak freshness.”
He famous that whereas there’s a frequent assumption that recent seafood can’t exist so removed from the coast, their largest problem additionally occurs to be their largest reward, which is proving that unsuitable day-after-day.
“It’s a day by day operational problem that’s made quite a bit simpler by means of proudly owning our personal oyster farm. We sit up for the possibility to point out that our landlocked location doesn’t change the truth that that is a number of the greatest and freshest seafood within the nation.”
Oysters are now not only a coastal luxurious and diners care greater than ever about sustainability, traceability, and seasonality, Huggard mentioned, including that folks need to know the place their meals comes from and the way it’s handled.
“By delivering distinctive merchandise, sharing the story behind every oyster, and exhibiting take care of the surroundings and the farmers, we create a significant reference to company that enhances the general expertise.”
The group has been impacted by rising gas prices and has weathered what has been a unhealthy winter for Lengthy Island’s oysters provide.
“Whether or not oysters are flown or trucked, gas fluctuations affect supply prices,” Huggard mentioned. “:We work onerous to soak up these prices with out passing unreasonable will increase onto our company.”
Whereas they had been very fortunate to see nearly no die-off at Blue Island Oyster Farm, he mentioned it was nonetheless an actual reminder of how a lot respect this type of work calls for.
“This previous winter was extremely onerous on numerous Lengthy Island oyster farmers, and my coronary heart actually goes out to the individuals who took these losses. Oyster farming is hard work to start with, and when the climate hits like that, it impacts livelihoods, households, and years of effort. Proudly owning the farm retains us intently related to that actuality day-after-day, and it makes us much more intentional in regards to the care, duty, and long-term dedication behind each oyster we serve.”
Shucking Good additionally consists of Oliver’s Italian, and the lately opened Ash and Agave, which was designed to evoke the sensation of the Mexican Riviera the second company arrive, utilizing lighting, music, design, meals, and cocktails to make diners really feel as if they’ve stepped right into a coastal escape, Huggard defined.
“For us, all of it begins with distinctive product high quality, nevertheless it grows into one thing bigger. Each element of the surroundings, hospitality, and storytelling contributes to a visitor’s expertise. It ought to really feel as if they’re entering into one other place or second in time. Each ingredient, story, and interplay is crafted to create that transportive sense of place and discovery that retains folks coming again.”
Prime picture by Joni Schrantz
