In August, Maryland celebrated National Oyster Week with restaurant specials and limited deals, all in celebration of the Bay’s beloved bivalve.
Now in October, Richmond, Virginia is getting in on the fun. The inaugural Oyster Week RVA kicks off Tuesday, Oct. 1, to support the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s oyster restoration efforts in Virginia. More than 20 Richmond restaurants have signed up to serve Virginia oysters all week and donate 15% of oyster sales to the Foundation.
The event is spearheaded by Acacia Midtown co-owner Aline Reitzer, who started the city’s popular, semi-annual Restaurant Week. “In Richmond’s restaurant community,” she explains, “we understand our deep ties to the water. Oyster Week RVA showcases our great watermen and oyster farmers; it’s a win-win, eating their oysters and giving back. We’re all committed to recycling oyster shells as well, to support both the industry and restoration programs.”
The city’s impressive list of participating restaurants include 21 Spoons, 1870 Restaurant, Acacia Midtown, Alewife, And Dim Sum, Bar Solita, Birdies, Bookbinders, Burton’s Grill & Bar, Chez Foushee, Crafted, East Coast Provisions, Kismet Modern Indian, Lillian Oyster Hall, Midlothian Chef’s Kitchen, Pinky’s, Tarrant’s Café, Tarrant’s West, The Boathouse at Rocketts Landing, The Hard Shell Downtown, The Hard Shell Bellgrade, The Lobby Bar, West Coast Provisions, and Yellow Umbrella Provisions on Patterson, possibly with more to come. The restaurants will be preparing special oyster dishes, as well as (of course) offering raw oysters.
“Richmond’s vibrant food scene is a key part of the city, just as oysters are a keystone species in the Bay,” said Capt. Jackie Shannon, CBF’s Virginia Oyster Restoration Manager. “What happens in River City’s backyard streams, the James by the Pipeline Trail, the tidal waters at Ancarrow’s Landing, and everywhere in between very much affects the Bay and the 18 million people who live in its watershed.”
CBF aims to connect Richmonders to the ways they can help improve the James River’s health, including planting trees, organizing litter pickups like the large-scale Clean the Bay Day, and reducing stormwater runoff.
As Oyster Week seeks to demonstrate, eating oysters can help save the Bay.
“This week showcases a keystone species for the Bay. Oysters clean our water, boost our economy, and provide habitat for other beloved species like the blue crab. This mighty bivalve is a key piece in restoring the Bay and making communities across Virginia healthier.”
The Bay is now home to the world’s biggest oyster restoration projects, including 11 large-scale oyster restoration reefs in 11 tributaries around the Bay watershed. CBF and other partners have more projects in the works.
