The World Is My Oyster
Where Meroir meets TerroirFrom the perspective of a Maitre Ecailler (shellfish specialist), America is an oyster nirvana. There are over 200 kinds of oysters in America that are currently available. Some are truly exceptional, and range among the best oysters that you can find anywhere in the world. I am introducing the notion of meroir, "a sense of the sea," which is used in France to denote the special characteristics the marine geography bestows upon the oysters of a specific location. This concept is similar to the term terroir applied to wine and where grapes are grown. With the oysters proclivity to live by the shore, bay, estuary or river mouth - they embed like no other the characteristics of those places where the land meets the sea. Oysters are notoriously difficult to match with wine due to their salt and mineral content. Therefore I also present a matching wine that complements the oysters that are present that day. I am presenting oysters like a sommelier would present a fine wine to create a dynamic fusion between terroir and meroir. This presentation enhances the customers' experience in discovering the secrets of an incredible delicacy, and will add a unique dining experience to any venue and event. |
| It was around the age of 12 that I convinced my parents to let me buy one of those fearsome looking diving knives to protect myself against what I thought of as the inevitable encounter with a shark or a giant octopus, while diving in a few feet of water along the Mediterranean coast. Instead of fencing sea monsters, I started using my cutlass to pop wild, flat oysters off the rocks of the jetty. To my dismay, eventually the knife broke down, and I had to resort to using a less romantic screwdriver to do the job. But by that time, my hunt for those "fruit of the sea" had started, and never stopped. |  |
Since then, I have become an oyster aficionado, eating this bivalve in any shape and form that I encountered them. I also embarked, after high school, in studying how to cultivate them. All those years of devotion brought me to an intimate understanding of oysters. When plying my trade as the Maitre Ecailler (Seafood Specialist) at the oyster bar of a new brasserie in Los Angeles, it occurred to me that a lot of people asked, "What makes a good oyster?" The answer is complex, and on some level deeply personal. But being in America, which I consider an oyster heaven, I find myself being a troubadour spreading the love for American Oysters. |