Meet Hollywood Oyster Company, Oyster Farmers in Maryland

Some people like to golf, others like to paint, but Tal Petty began farming oysters as a hobby. What started as a couple of oysters, shared among friends on the Chesapeake Bay, has grown into a 300-acre farm selling millions of oysters annually. He and his master shucker wife, Na Petty, run Hollywood Oyster together in Maryland.

A father of five, Tal previously worked in commercial real estate, finance, and global IT marketing. On the side, his love of oysters inspired him to start growing oysters on his family's property in Hollywood, Maryland. He was hooked and took the leap to fully transition his career to commercial farming in 2013.

A Powerhouse Farm

Hollywood Oyster Company operates as a wholesale oyster farm on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay, approximately 60 miles south of Washington, D.C. The farm is located on the deepest river on the East Coast, the Patuxent. It shares a cove with a state park, lending to excellent water quality.

This region is steeped in oyster heritage. The farm is minutes from the site of the National Oyster Shucking Championships. "This is oyster country," says Tal. "These are historic oyster waters and the river is optimal for oyster growth-deep and wide with great flow, and since it has no industry on it, it is very clean. And the oysters are delicious."

Sustainability is a foundational principle at the Hollywood Oyster Company. The operation is powered by an on-property solar farm that generates more electricity than the company consumes.

Oysters themselves are ecological powerhouses by filtering water and creating habitat. The thousands of oyster cages placed on the sandy river bottom transform what was once a grassless underwater desert into a vibrant reef. These structures become magnets for vegetation and sea life, significantly improving water quality and boosting local biodiversity. Tal notes, "It always amazes me when we pull oysters cages from the water. In just a few months, they're teeming with vegetation, crabs, eels, and fish."

Beyond their environmental contributions, Hollywood Oyster Company is deeply woven into the fabric of its local community. As a small business, they employ 16 people and actively collaborate with many local small businesses.

Farming Oysters from Tide to Table

Hollywood Oyster Company produces three varieties of oyster: Sweet Jesus, Hollywood, and VaVa Voom. The oysters are grown in cages and tumbled regularly, leading to hardy shells with deep cups.

Their location lends to a distinctive "merroir," or flavor. "Hollywood is in the upper Chesapeake Bay, relatively far from the ocean," describes Tal. "That means our oysters are sweeter than they are salty. The creeks where Hollywood oysters grow are fossil lined with a clay substrate. This provides a mineral taste that chefs and customers love and keep coming back for."

Fun Fact

Merroir refers to the influence of the environment on the taste of oysters. The taste and texture of an oyster varies by where they are grown, the salinity, and the minerals and nutrients they absorb from the water.

Recipe

Tal's favorite recipe is oyster poached eggs. It's as easy as shucking six oysters and their liquid into a frying pan, adding two eggs, and poaching until the eggs are cooked to your liking. What a great way to start the day!