chains got gnarled up, suddenly a tsunami of interest came crashing down on what we had been working on and everybody started sourcing straight from the fleet again. We hit a “mission accomplished” status by all gauges of measuring success in what we set out to do. Joe, what is it about oysters that gets you excited? I really like oysters, especially if I can harvest them myself or get them locally, as they are fresh and full of liquor, which is the juice in the shell with the oyster meat. They represent localism at its highest form, since we are surrounded by water. Sean, besides oysters, what do you see being popular this year? How do you see the business expanding while staying sustainable? Local is what’s becoming extremely popular again. And because Dock to Dish never left our local roots, we don’t have to make any changes to be part of a trend. We don’t have to go back to basics, because we never left. Oysters sound like the perfect trifecta of localism,
fine dining, and sustainability. Tell me a little about your favorite presentation, Joe. I really like serving oysters on the half shell with tangerine chili mignonette (recipe next page) at Coche Comedor in the summer, as they are cold and refreshing. Customers can’t seem to get enough of them. In the winter, I like to grill them on our wood-burning grill with some chorizo butter. I try to keep my dishes simple in order to feature the main items of the dish, especially when they are local and of great quality, like Peeko oysters (celebrated in another article). Sean, any last thoughts? There’s an air of “survivor euphoria” undergirding the Roaring 2020s. You heard it here first, mark my words!
Sean, do you see massive celebrations coming this summer in the wake of the pandemic? Yes, the Roaring Twenties happened right after our last pandemic in 1918 for a reason and the same type of frenzied, hedonistic, rampaging party scene is now approaching as vaccinations become ubiquitous while the weather breaks (in synchronicity with the usual summer migration madness). How does that affect Dock to Dish? Are you guys ready for the influx? This massive celebration will only amplify the momentum driving Dock to Dish. Ten years ago, when Joe and I started it all with Scott Chaskey of Quail Hill, the mission of Dock to Dish was to fix a broken food system and reconnect our East End communities with the small-scale artisanal fishing fleet so people would once again know their fishermen, like it used to be in the ‘80s and ‘90s before we started importing everything. We made a lot of progress over the years, and when the pandemic hit and long food supply
Joe, how does Dock to Dish influence the menus at the Honest Man group? I hooked up with Sean in the beginning of Dock to Dish. I immediately thought it was a great idea and decided to give it a shot. It’s been extremely successful. Sean and my chefs work on educating the staff on the program and the impacts on sustainability, and how it affects our waters and the positive impacts it has on our local fishermen. It was great to be able to get local fish from the fishermen to my back door within hours of the fish hitting the docks. The quality is the best, and it shows on the plate. Our customers over the years would call ahead and ask what the catch was and which days we would be selling it, so Dock to Dish quickly became a customer favorite. On the restaurant side, for the chefs it became a game of “What are we getting today and what can we make with it?” It rejuvenated the staff as well. We are pleased to be able to continue the program for the 2021 season.
74 • AFLOAT USA Hamptons Summer 2021
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