The Central Coast Stars in ‘The Oyster Farmer’
Morro Bay Oyster Co. and Stephanie Mutz Share Shellfish Tales in SOMM TV’s Latest Short Film
The prolific team of director Jason Wise and producer Jackson Myers — best known for their series of Somm films about modern sommelier life — continue to put out a steady stream of original content on their SOMM TV channel, which launched in 2019. The latest is The Oyster Farmer, a half-hour film that highlights small, family-owned oyster farmers from Westport, Massachusetts to Morro Bay on California’s Central Coast while revealing the fascinating history and life cycle of these shellfish.
The initial focus is on Kerian Fennelly, founder of Westport Sea Farms, who left a declining lobster career to start farming oysters, which enhanced the maritime environment of the surrounding waters. Because they actively clean the water as they grow, oysters are a net-positive benefit to the environment wherever they’re grown, just another reason to take glee in sucking them down.
“Oyster sommelier” Julie Qiu discusses the range of oysters available and why they’re good for you, being high in zinc, vitamin D, magnesium, and other essential minerals. They were integral to the colonization of the Americas, being that the oysters here were larger than anyone had ever seen, and eaten in such masses that they eventually went pretty much extinct in numerous locales.
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