For the love of oysters, this venture is schooling people in mollusc appreciation
CBC
From shuckers to chefs, a venture called the Oyster Master Guild is hoping to boost appreciation and knowledge around the trendy mollusc.
"The Oyster Master Guild is really a network of oyster professionals, shuckers, oyster somms, chefs, restaurateurs and enthusiasts who all really care about advancing oyster appreciation," said co-founder Julie Qiu, who is based in Brooklyn, N.Y.
"We're a group of people who love telling the story of the oyster, and travelling for oysters, and sharing our knowledge about it."
Qiu, who describes herself as an oyster queen and oyster nerd, said the idea for the Oyster Master Guild came from conversations with co-founder Patrick McMurray, an oyster shucker based in Toronto.
"The idea behind OMG grew from a shared frustration," Qiu said.
"When we go into an oyster bar, you'd expect, you know, a wonderful oyster experience. But the reality is a lot of times you get a platter of poorly shucked oysters, nobody knows what they are, not sure when they came in.
"That is just a shame, you know — and that could potentially be unsafe."
The guild's activities are designed "to make this just a really clear and inspiring thing for people to understand and be a part of," Qiu said.
"I think that also helps build trust in eating oysters, especially in the raw form."
McMurray said the guild offers an education platform, including online workshops and training around oysters.
"Most people will understand what a wine sommelier is, and understands the wine regions of the world, and the oyster can parallel that," he said. "When we speak of the word 'sommelier,' people have an understanding of the level of knowledge.
"In this world, we're talking about oyster, and the different species of oysters."
The guild was scheduled to be on P.E.I. this week to host its first-ever Oyster Expedition, but a winter snowstorm forced them to cancel those plans.
There are plans for future tours, which will include visits with oyster growers across Prince Edward Island.
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