Nation's oldest oyster distributor is oil spill casualty

[FourScore]

The Newsroom
Nation's oldest oyster distributor is oil spill casualty
Fri Jun 11, 2:41 pm ET

"We were just hopeful they would have capped that thing by now."

Those are the words of Al Sunseri, who, along with brother Sal, runs the nation's oldest oyster distributor, out of New Orleans' French Quarter. Because "that thing" has yet to be capped, the P&J Oyster company laid off 11 full-time workers Thursday and halted its shucking operations for the first time since its founding in 1876.

"The bottom line is that the guys that we purchase from are not working," Sal Sunseri told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "Today's our last day of shucking."

If you've eaten oysters in a New Orleans restaurant, chances are good that they came from P&J's.

"Having the guy down the street deliver oysters that were shucked just that morning to our doorstep is an amazing thing," famed local chef John Besh told the paper. "The relationship is so valuable, knowing that I can count on them to source the best oysters from the saltiest areas and deliver them in a consistent, uniform manner..."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_bs2543

[xchrom]

1. a very sad recommend. nt

[Laelth]

2. k&r for the truth, however depressing. n/t

:dem:

-Laelth