Hollywood Oyster Company is located in Hollywood, MD, on the shores of the Patuxent River in St. Mary’s County. We recently spoke with Tal Petty, who started the business in 2010.
Petty began by growing oysters on weekends to share with family and friends, and after honing his craft, he decided to go into the oyster farming business. After acquiring the necessary permits he was able to start growing oysters and begin selling them a few years later. Now the company has four distinct varieties—Hollywood, Sweet Jesus, Va Va Voom, and Seasiders—that they sell mostly to wholesalers.
The Hollywood oyster is named for the company’s location. It is a sweet, Upper Bay oyster that is creamy with “flintiness and a crisp finish.” Sweet Jesus is another Upper Bay oyster, described as “a truffle in a shell.” Buyers often want salty oysters, so Petty tells us that while trying to market this particular variety, he once exclaimed, “Sweet Jesus it’s a good oyster!” So even if chefs prefer a saltier oyster, the name alone “at least gets a slurp out of them.” Then there is the Va Va Voom, so named for the ‘oyster effect,’ as well as the location in which it is grown—Virginia. This oyster is briney and “mossy with cucumber hints.” Lastly we have Seasiders, which are ocean grown oysters and thus much saltier. When pressed to name his favorite, Petty admits that it depends on his mood. “If I want to have a romantic night with my wife, I go with Va Va Voom,” he cheekily remarked.
If you’re interested in trying one of these varieties, Petty suggests asking for them by name at your favorite restaurant. Because the company sells mostly to wholesalers, they don’t always know where their oysters end up. But they love when fans send pictures of Hollywood oysters on the menu. Hollywood Oyster Company also attends various oyster festivals throughout the year, including the Mermaid’s Kiss Oyster Fest that was held in Baltimore last fall.
Events such as this “give us the opportunity to tell our story and we do love telling our story,” said Petty. So much of Petty’s work involves marketing his oysters, but he admits that “the thing I do less of these days but love the most is being on the water.” He is always trying to find ways to “let an oyster be itself.” So the next time you’re out ordering oysters inquire if they have any of the Hollywood Oyster Company varieties. And if you enjoy them, in the future you can place an order at hollywoodoyster.com and have them shipped directly to your door. Choose local.