Excitement is an oyster farm. Especially when said oyster farm is literally a 5 minute boat ride from your place/kitchen of work. Meet Frank Reveil, his wife Margo, and their two sons Logan and Kenneth. Frank, is a francophile Ex-Pat (with a little boat named "X-Spat") and has been living in Alaska for few years working primarily as a fisherman. He and his wife purchased this farm, Jakolof Bay Oysters a few years ago. The decision was made after tasting the oysters and having full confidence that they were on a unique farm of superior quality. Jackolof Bay oysters are some of the cleanest oysters I have ever tasted. They have a light brininess with a subtle green apple and honeydew melon finish. Basically, they're fantastic.
Luckily for us, these are our neighbors. So at the Lodge we have access to this amazing product at all times. When I asked Frank why his oysters had such superior flavor he paused for a bit and then blurted out, "Because there are now COWS?!!" in his french-textured and broken english. He explained that here, on this bay where these oysters are grown are so far away from any sort of pollution that could affect these filter feeding bivalves. He's right, there are now roads, no fertilizers dripping into the waters, no cars extruding exhaust into it's near by atmosphere, just natural wild sea water- clean, pure flavor.
I asked for 4 dozen to take back to the lodge to prepare for some guests that have a huge love for raw oysters. Immediately three members of the family jumped on the oyster table picking out the perfect oysters for us, hand scrubbing every oyster that was destined for that little mesh bag. They do this for every oyster they sell, not kidding.
Growing oysters in Alaska is hard work, a normal oyster farm anywhere else in the world can harvest after 2 to 3 years of growth. Jackolof Bay Oysters take five years to reach maturity!!! The reason being is the water in the bay is too cold for the oyster to grow during the winter months. If the water is that clean and the product is that good, it's worth the wait
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| Family Affair... Scrubbing each oyster before bagging |
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| Frank's son, Logan checking and counting oysters for quality |
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| Holed Table used for sizing the just Harvested Oysters |
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| Jakolof Bay Oysters, Apple Vinegar, Tapioca, Borage Served to the guests immediately after returning from the farm. |
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