TIMMY DWYER/N. SEA. OYSTER COMPANY
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“Good oysters have good chew,” says oyster farmer Conor MacNair.
Above: Conor MacNair, owner of N. SEA. Oyster
Company, farms shellfish in Topsail Sound using an
Australian longline and French trellis method. Left: The
company’s Divine Pines of Topsail Sound display a teal
hue in their gills due to the filtering of Haslea algae.
“We have been filling up and having a wait list on
Friday and Saturday night. It’s a great problem to have
in these times,” Vergili says.
The most popular item is oysters on the half shell. But
if they want a sampling, diners can taste oysters from all
four local farm areas.
“We’ve had great support from the local community,
oyster farmers, and we use a lot of local farm produce
too,” he says. “Supporting local business is very import-ant
to us.”
Another marker on the NC Oyster Trail is the
Wrightsville Beach Brewery, owned by Wilmington
native Jud Watkins.
“We have four different locals we usually get oysters
from, two that harvest wild oysters and two that are
farmers,” general manager Keith Sincavage says. “We
can give customers descriptive details, if they want
something salt forward, or something more moderately
salty, we will try to help pair their taste with the bever-ages
they like.”
HOLLY BROWN OF LIGHTLY PHOTOGRAPHY/N. SEA. OYSTER COMPANY
www.wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com WBM