I am a commercial fisherman through and through; from our spring and fall netting season to summer channel net shrimping and over the last few years an acquisition of shellfish franchise in coastal North Carolina. I am deeply passionate about persevering fishing heritage, culture and our working waterfront. I look forward to learning more about the oyster industry and market as our family aquaculture farm grows!

My name is James Benavides, and I am a senior at Bowdoin College studying Marine Biology and Gender Studies. My recent research on oyster growth with the Aquaculture Research Institute introduced me to oysters through a scientific lens, and I am eager to grow my knowledge of their history and production.

Born and raised in Point Pleasant, NJ, Matt started his oyster journey in 2013 in the high-volume world of Jersey Shore happy hours, shucking 25-cent clams and $1 oysters summer after summer. Although his start was all about speed, his real oyster education began when he slowed down and learned to appreciate the variety of oysters coming through the restaurant- leading him to open O'Shucks Mobile Oyster Bar & Catering in 2024

Nina is an artist and graphic designer living on the Olympic Peninsula. She seeks to bridge her shucking and aquaculture work with visual communication and science education. She believes that oysters are a convergence of social, cultural and environmental topics that bring joy and awareness to life. 

Sean Louden, a.k.a. "Chef Crudo," is a culinary force hailing from Pensacola, Florida. Standing at 6'4" and 300 lbs., Chef Crudo brings a unique presence to the kitchen. He's a master of the raw, expertly wielding his skills as a sushi chef, oyster shucker, and caviar enthusiast.

Before starting my Master’s degree in Sustainable Use and Production of Marine Bioresources at Gothenburg University in Sweden, I spent several years studying and working with wine, other alcoholic beverages, and foods where flavor is deeply influenced by the conditions of their growth and production environment. This provenance-flavor relationship, often referred to as terroir, plays a key role in the unique character and valorization of many foods that I grew up with and cherish. 

Today, I am conducting research on key odor compounds in lower-trophic marine foods at Chalmers University of Technology. My ultimate goal is to deepen our understanding of merroir—the marine equivalent of terroir—and to share the joy of exceptional algae, bivalves, and oysters with more people.