Dinner on a sandbar at the Walrus and Carpenter Oyster Farm in Ninigret Pond
This past summer Walrus and Carpenter Oysters held a series of dinners at their farm in Ninigret Pond in Charlestown, Rhode Island. Rhode Island aquaculture is a rapidly expanding form of farming and having the opportunity to dine on a sandbar in the salt pond is a rare experience. Couple that with a multi-course dinner prepared by some of Rhode Island’s best chefs and you have a evening that is highly unique.
I was invited by Derek Wagner, chef and owner of Nick’s on Broadway in Providence, to the dinner he prepared on Sunday, August 11th. The event began with a tour of the farm by owner Jules Opton-Himmel with his crew Ben and Phoebe. After the tour, there was a raw bar of oysters shucked fresh from the pond. Then dinner was served on a sandbar (see above photograph). Wine for the evening was paired by Campus Fine Wines in Providence.
Here are 21 of my favorite photographs from the evening. The entire set of 150 photographs can be viewed on Facebook. Thank you to everyone involved in a truly spectacular evening.
Jules Opton-Himmel pouring out some growing oysters during the tour for the guests
Immature oysters
Walrus and Carpenter Oysters raw bar in the pond
The setting for dinner
Dinner table on a sandbar 1
Dinner table on a sandbar 2
Chef/owner Derek Wagner of Nick’s on Broadway with farmer/owner Jules Opton-Himmel of Walrus and Carpenter Oysters
Chowder!
Plating the salad course
Salad
Wagner cooking in his sandbar kitchen
Sautéing fish
Calamari and fish cooking
Plating the fish course
The final fish, squid and quinoa dish
The guests enjoying dinner as the sun sets on Charlestown
Plating dessert
Dessert!
Cleaning up at the end of the evening
Opton-Himmel and Wagner as we head back to the docks
