The bivalve life: An oyster’s journey from farm to table

Charleston oysterman Thomas Bierce holds up two oyster shells. The first has been washed, tumbled and grated while the other has been plucked naturally from the water in a cluster.
“They respond to that stress by growing a thicker shell,” Bierce said.

He’s right. The wild cluster is fragile and will crumble if shucked. It has to be steamed to be opened without breaking. But the lone oyster shell is thicker. It has grown solo, without the rest of the cluster to protect it from the elements or tumbler.

That strong solo oyster represents thousands that will soon make their way from James Island to the Charleston peninsula and around the city. Each oyster — tucked away in a temperature-controlled van marked “Charleston Oyster Farm” — is representative of years of work and sustainably-focused farming.

When you visit a spot like Bowen’s Island or take a shot of Shots and Vin’s Vince Lendacki’s cleverly named oyster shooters, you’re likely going to eat one of Bierce’s Perky Sea Cups.

“We serve those for all of our raw oysters,” said Hope Barber, managing operator of Bowen’s Island Restaurant near Folly Beach. “That’s our house oyster.

“They taste exactly like what I think a wild harvested Lowcounty oyster tastes like. It tastes almost like a yummy gulp of saltwater. It tastes like the ocean.”

A sea story

The journey for a Perky Sea Cup oyster may begin at Lady’s Island Oyster Hatchery or Cherrystone Aqua-Farms in Virginia.

“Like a farmer has prized bulls or prize brood stock — whether it be cows, chickens, whatever that they use to raise the offspring — we have the same thing,” said Frank Roberts, owner of Lady’s Island Oyster Hatchery.

Charleston Oyster Farm’s Thomas Bierce (left) and Shots and Vin’s Vince Lendacki’s | Photo by Ashley Stanol

“We have our brood stock — oysters that we use just for breeding. Some of them are 10 inches in size.”

Oysters naturally spawn in the spring so Roberts and farm manager Julie Davis simulate the rise in temperature the rest of the year to spur breeding. When the females release eggs, the males go “into a frenzy” attempting to be the first to fertilize the eggs. Roberts said the process is monitored under a microscope until the eggs begin to divide, signaling successful fertilization and the transition from egg to trochophore (marine) larva.

The team feeds micro algae to oysters to grow. They then provide the budding larvae with a crushed shell sized at 300 microns — room enough for one larva — and move them into a nursery of raw sea water. It is there that they grow to eight to 10 millimeters.

When the oysters reach that point, Bierce comes in to take these seedlings away. He drops the seedlings into bags before they go into floating cages in the water at his Lady’s Island hatchery where they’ll live for anywhere between six months to two years, depending on their growth rate. The farm has roughly 250 cages.

The process during those months is strenuous. Bierce and his crew flip the cages once a week to expose them to the sun to get rid of unwanted biological growth. This constant movement prevents the growth of barnacles or other organisms. He said any barnacles or microscopic larvae that may land on an oyster are eradicated in that period. In doing so, he prevents clusters from forming. If not, he’ll have to hand cull them with a chisel. From there, they go back into the water for nutrients with the process continuing until the oysters are ready.

Charleston Oyster Farm is located on Sol Legare Road, just off the Stono River | Ashley Stanol

Bierce has a grader on-site and 50 cages of oysters are graded each week. The grader aids in cleaning and sorting oysters.

The farm is located on Sol Legare Road, just off the Stono River near James and Johns Islands. During the summer months, that proximity is vital when Bierce only has two hours to harvest the oysters, clean them and get them in an ice slurry to ensure they are below 50 degrees before they hit his van and get on their way.

An untraditional oyster shooter

Shots and Vin owner Vince Lendacki has been friends with Bierce for nearly 20 years since they were students at the College of Charleston.

Lendacki started his traveling raw bar in 2021 and has been making the bivalve shooters ever since. Lendacki said he has accumulated over 200 recipes.

Although they are shots, it’s unlikely they’ll get you drunk. They’re delicious and a little boozy.
Lendacki said he doesn’t prepare his shots like a traditional oyster shooter. Instead, he prepares a shot with the oyster on the side. A two-step, if you will. The oysters might have scallions or hot sauce or a plethora of different toppings depending on his recipe.

Lendacki operates his commissary kitchen out of Rebel Taqueria and may pop up at spots like Tobin’s Market or your friend’s wedding, ready to serve an Ol’ George A. Dickel Twist — a lemon-infused oyster over bourbon-infused tea.