Back to the Future Dinners presented by Familia Torres Winery and Talisker Single Malt Scotch Whisky

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On Thursday, Feb. 20 and Tuesday, Mar. 10, Billion Oyster Project, together with Delmonico’s Restaurant and P.J. Clarke’s Sidecar, will host “Back to the Future” — a chef collaboration dinner series celebrating the diverse seafood that was once abundant in New York Harbor. 

The dinners, presented by Familia Torres Winery and Talisker Single Malt Scotch Whisky, will be prepared by world-renowned chefs from Delmonico’s, Per Se, Canal Street Oysters, Union Square Cafe, P.J. Clarke’s, Grand Banks, Seamore’s, Cull & Pistol, and Lobster Place Sushi — all partners of Billion Oyster Project’s Shell Collection Program. Both events will galvanize support for oyster restoration efforts in New York Harbor, while paying homage to our estuary’s historic heyday, when it reigned as “The Oyster Capital of the World.”  (Full details / background below)

Now in its second year, two 90-guest dining events will feature an exquisite four-course menu prepared by acclaimed New York City chefs Per Se’s Cory Chow, Grand Bank’s Kerry Heffernan, Canal Street Oyster’s Charlene Santiago, and more (see below). Both “Back to the Future” menus will inspire greater awareness for New York Harbor’s potential as a marine ecosystem by serving seafood — historically abundant in our local estuary — that can no longer be safely sourced from the Harbor due to pollution and ecosystem degradation. The evening will highlight the ecosystem services that oyster reefs provided when over 200,000 acres of reef spanned  NY Harbor. Today, that natural population is virtually extinct. 

Mark Kurlansky, author of The Big Oyster, Miguel Torres Maczassek, of Familia Torres’s fifth generation, Paul Greenberg,author of Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food, and Willie Geist, NBC News and MSNBC Anchor will join “Back to the Future” as guest speakers, for an opportunity to imagine what our shared blue space can look like with a billion oysters and millions of New Yorkers working together to restore it.

Why Are Oysters So Important? Oysters are “Ecosystem Engineers.” Did you know a single adult oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water each day? Oyster reefs also play a critical role in attracting and supporting New York Harbor’s marine life, from fish to turtles and even whales — all while protecting our shorelines from storms like Hurricane Sandy.

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Helene Hetrick
Communications Manager, Billion Oyster Project
hhetrick@nyharbor.org | 832.477.6021 


WHAT: Billion Oyster Project’s “Back to the Future” Chef Collaboration Dinner — A Culinary Evening to Support Billion Oyster Project’s Mission to Restore Oyster Reefs to New York Harbor through Public Education Initiatives
WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020 / Tuesday, Mar. 10, 2020 // 6:30pm – 9:30pm
WHERE: Delmonico’s Restaurant – 56 Beaver Street New York, NY  10004 / P.J. Clarke’s Sidecar – 915 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10022

About Familia Torres Winery:

On February 20th, the dinner will be presented by Familia Torres Winery. The pairings for the evening will feature the winery’s special ancestral varietals that were once believed to be extinct after the devastating phylloxera plague of the late 19th century. The Familia Torres Winery took on the special project of recovering the winemaking heritage of Catalonia, and thanks to the efforts of the family’s fifth generation, the project is going stronger than ever. More than 50 varieties have been rediscovered so far, of which six are very interesting from a winemaking perspective. According to Miguel Torres Maczassek, of Familia Torres’s fifth generation, who will be giving guests at Back to the Future an insight into the project,  

“Bringing back ancestral varieties is an exercise in viticultural
archaeology to recover part of our heritage. By returning to the past and reviving varieties used by our ancestors, we can look to the future and find the kind of authenticity that will result in extraordinary wines that are truly special and cannot be made the same way anywhere else in the world.”

About​ Talisker Single Malt Scotch Whisky: On March 10th, the dinner will be presented by Talisker Single Malt Scotch Whisky.​ ​Talisker was the first distillery on the Isle of Skye, one of the most remote and rugged – yet beautiful – landscapes in Scotland. Talisker’s signature maritime and briny notes are like a warm welcome from a wild sea. For more information on Talisker Single Malt Scotch Whisky ​click here​, and to find out more about our responsible drinking initiatives visit www.DRINKiQ.com. Ocean conservation is an important cause for Talisker, as the distillery is located on Skye’s rugged coast, battered by wind and waves. Diageo North America’s Director of Single Malts, Jamie Young, says:

“As an homage to our home by the sea and our deep-rooted love of oysters, we’re very proud to support Billion Oyster Project’s restoration of oyster reefs and bringing the ‘wild spirit’ back to New York Harbor. Talisker is perfect for pairing with oysters due to our signature maritime, briny and smoky notes, and by supporting Billion Oyster Project’s efforts, we are ensuring the ocean – and the distilleries it touches – continue to thrive in the future.”   

Participating Chefs include:

  • Feb. 20

    • Billy Oliva – Delmonico’s Restaurant 

    • Charlene Santiago – Canal Street Oysters

    • Corey Chow – Per Se

    • Daniel Alvarez – Union Square Cafe

  • Mar. 10

    • Mike DeFonzo – P.J. Clarke’s

    • Kerry Heffernan – Grand Banks/Summer Ops

    • Rob Eggleston – Seamore’s

    • David Seigal – Cull & Pistol

    • Po Shing – Lobster Place Sushi

With Special Guest Speakers: 

  • Feb. 20

    • Mark Kurlansky – Author of The Big Oyster: History On the Half Shell

    • Miguel Torres Maczassek, of Familia Torres’s fifth generation

  • Mar. 10

    • Paul Greenberg – Author of Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food and American Catch:The Fight for Our Local Seafood

    • Willie Geist – NBC News and MSNBC Anchor

TICKETS: $425/ea. (click here to view/purchase)

(Tax deductible per ticket: $250) 

DETAILS: https://billionoysterproject.org/events/   

NY Public Library Historic Menu Archives(<— view online)


NYC’s OYSTER HISTORY


1609 – New York Harbor is one of the most biologically productive, diverse, and dynamic environments on the planet with more than 220,000 acres of oyster reefs—nearly half the world’s population—that hosted thousands of associated species.

1855 –  New York City has become obsessed with oysters and continues to reign as The Oyster Capital of the World.  Downtown Manhattan is thriving from the oyster trade, earning Pearl Street and Canal Street their names, and New York Harbor oysters and other aquatic species top the menus of fine-dining establishments like Delmonico’s. 

1906 – The oyster population in New York Harbor is dwindling due to New Yorkers’ voracious appetite for the bivalve, and the Harbor is suffering from toxic pollution. The water quality will eventually become so poor that not even the hardy boring worm (which eats into wooden pilings and ship bottoms) can survive.

1927 –  The last of NYC’s oyster beds are officially shut down.

1972 – The Clean Water Act is passed, prohibiting the dumping of waste and raw sewage into the Harbor, which has been sitting lifeless and toxic for 50+ years. Water quality continues to improve over the coming years, setting the stage for large-scale restoration projects.

2014 –  The Billion Oyster Project is launched with a goal of distributing one billion oysters into the Harbor across 100 acres of reef by 2035.    

2035 – Thanks to the Billion Oyster Project, one billion oysters will have been distributed around 100 acres of reefs in New York Harbor, laying the foundation for New York Harbor to once again become Oyster Capital of the World and the most productive waterbody in the North Atlantic.

Billion Oyster Project’s Progress To Date – By The Numbers:

  • 30,000,000 oysters restored

  • 12 oyster reefs installed, over 7 acres

  • 1,500,000 pounds of shell recycled

Billion Oyster Project Shell Collection Program: Funded and supported by Talisker Single Malt Scotch Whisky, the Shell Collection Program is a cornerstone of Billion Oyster Project’s work. Oyster shells provide the base material for oyster reefs and a home for young oysters in New York Harbor. Members of the BOP team use oyster shells collected from 75+ restaurants in New York City in their restoration work. The Lobster Place collects oyster shells Monday through Friday from participating restaurants and transports them to a depot in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Once a month, shells are brought to a site on Governors Island, where they are piled and cured in the outdoor elements for a minimum of one year. Once cured, shells are either placed at oyster reefs or seeded with oyster larvae produced at the Harbor School Hatchery. These newly set, young oysters, are transferred to BOP oyster nurseries, restoration sites or Oyster Research Stations.