Since oil hell broke loose, you have probably read or heard the name Sunseri. Al and Sal Sunseri, co-owners of P&J Oyster Company, have been interviewed by so many reporters, it's a wonder they've been able to keep shucking bivalves.
Yesterday, they made a heartbreaking announcement: free time isn't going to be a problem. The house has stopped shucking after 134 years.
Tap that link a second. Look at Sal's face. Check out that line of shuckers banging shells. Let it sink in--this family and crew has been doing this work since America's Centennial, longer than anyone. And they've hit the wall.
Since the hell, the brothers have scrambled to find new suppliers west of Barataria Bay and in Texas as oyster beds closed, all the while acting as a one-family promotional campaign to boost the state's seafood industry. Less than a week ago, P&J's sponsored the first New Orleans Oyster Festival in the Quarter, touting the state's product, arguably the finest in the world.
Now the Sunseris say they've cracked their last shell from the Sportsman's Paradise, at least until hell passes and their beloved mollusks recover. If they can.
The new product they've been buying in the west have been of inconsistent quality and the brothers feared their business' reputation was in danger of being compromised. So, yesterday, they shut their doors and let their staff of eleven go.
For now. They're looking to find a reliable supplier of Pacific oysters so that they can resume shucking and get their people back to work.
And they're still hoping to someday return to selling Louisiana product. Someday.
Addendum: I ran into my friend Buddy, whom I diaried back in early May. He told me that around Barataria, the Coast Guard keeps leaving the boom open at inlets, saying navigable waterways can't be blocked. Locals, says Buddy, are coming along behind the patrols and re-booming the inlets. I'm really beginning to doubt the seriousness of some CG people in this business.
Yeah, I'm still flogging the "Hey Tony" video. In lieu of recs, spare a page view and pass the link to a friend. And a thought for the oystermen.