Food Network chef visits Daufuskie, says May River oysters ‘best I ever had’
Food Network chef Lazarus Lynch featured Daufuskie Island and Gullah comfort food this week in his “Comfort Nation” series on the TV channel’s website.
The episode, titled “Traditional Oyster Roast,” went live on Tuesday.
Lynch is a two-time “Chopped” winner and the son of Johnny Ray Lynch, a chef from Bessemer, Alabama, according to his website.
The New Yorker’s visit to Daufuskie Island for a Gullah oyster roast with cookbook author Sallie Ann Robinson took place on March 26, based on Lynch’s Facebook posts.
“We harvested some of the best oysters I’ve ever had, and cooked up a traditional oyster roast with cornbread and melted butter. I had the best time soaking up all of her wisdom, and the oyster juice. I cannot wait to share more!!” Lynch wrote.
On the show, oysterman Ben Kidd takes Lynch into the pluff mud of the May River to harvest oysters.
“This is like clay, this mud,” Lynch comments.
“It’ll definitely get you stuck,” Kidd says.
After a lesson on how to select oysters, the two crack some open, and Lynch describes the taste as “the water, the sea, so fresh. ... I think that is the best oyster I ever had.”
Lynch isn’t done yet, though. At the next stop, Robinson is waiting to demonstrate oyster roasting over an outdoor fire.
“To prepare all these oysters ... this is a great way to do it. Right outside in the backyard with family gathered and friends gathered,” Robinson says.
Lynch pronounces the gathering a success.
“This is my first time having an oyster roast, and being on Daufuskie, I really feel like ... it’s a place of paradise,” Lynch says. “I think I’m moving to Daufuskie, y’all.”
The next day, Lynch posted a Facebook Live video from a Hilton Head beach.
“We stayed at a beautiful resort here on the beach, and today is actually the last day of filming. And I’m just taking in all of this good air, all of this good nature. .... I’m taking all of this good energy. Today will be an amazing day.”
Lynch’s show also includes an episode — “Low Country Shrimp and Grits” — featuring Geechee Boy Mill on Edisto Island and local cook “Miss Emily” Meggett.
This story was originally published July 20, 2018 at 2:17 PM with the headline "Food Network chef visits Daufuskie, says May River oysters ‘best I ever had’."