Another oyster fest emerges, Upper Cape centric

Variety is the spice of shucking life

Dave Ryan, well-respected prime mover of Cape Cod Oyster Company, put three oysters on a plate and as music pounded wicked loud through the Flying Bridge beside Falmouth Harbor, hundreds partying at the restaurant’s second annual oyster fest November 3, he needed to lean in and yell:

“Taste these three for a comparison!”

When people invoke the subtleties of wine or beer, conjuring hints of black cherry, nutmeg and grapefruit, floral finishes, I love relating to all that but wonder if my agreement is mainly the power of suggestion. Ditto for subtle oyster nuances. So I appreciated Dave’s offering without any prejudicial set-up.

We started with an oyster from Washburn Island, East Falmouth, coincidentally where I first scratched clams as a teenager. There was an earthiness to it, and when I said so Ryan nodded. “I call it mushroomy,” he yelled.

Next came a morsel from across the peninsula, Barnstable Harbor to the north. Much more briney, I thought, saltier, more bracing. Again he nodded. “OK, now the third.”

This nugget was from West Bay, Osterville, back to the south shore. “You know what?” I yelled, “I think this splits the difference!”

Dave laughed. “The brine isn’t so upfront,” he agreed, “the finish a little more subtle. I don’t want to say neutral, but yeah, between the two.”

Dave Ryan has been working oysters for 25 years, and Cape Cod Oyster is a powerhouse; 17 full-time year-round jobs with a lot of loyalty, longevity, and industry relationships, next generation engaged as well.

“About half my crew own their own homes,” said Ryan, “younger people making it work on Cape Cod. I’m really happy about that.”

Moving through the fest, multiple signs suggested that aquaculture creates opportunity. Names of farms dotted the sprawling restaurant, shuckers with their backs to the harbor, none from what many assume is Oyster Ground Zero, aka Wellfleet; Crooked River (Buzzards Bay), Sippewissett (Falmouth), Sea State (Bourne), Hammerhead (Osterville), Great White (Barnstable), Washburn Island (Mashpee).

Tyler Hagenstein is a fine example; he started Channel Rock six years ago in Barnstable Harbor three and a half miles west of Mattacheese Wharf toward Sandwich. His oysters have deep pockets, giving the animals plenty of body.

At the older, more famous Wellfleet Oyster Fest, every shucked oyster must hail from that town. There’s still variety — some people swear they can taste whether a Wellfleet comes from Egg Island, Chipman’s Cove, or around toward Lieutenants Island — but multi-town contributions make for fun culinary comparisons, even if sometimes driven by the power of suggestion.

At $3 an oyster, slurping as many as necessary to make sure to sample every grower’s pride and joy (more than once) wasn’t in the cards, or rather the wallet. But the packed crowd wasn’t grumbling, and assuming most of the money goes to the growers, we’ll live.

With year two’s success, looks like another Cape Cod tradition is taking hold.

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