Peace. Love. Oysters. We live life in that order in the Vogt family as long as the oysters come from Big Island Aquaculture. We’re a family business comfortable enough to call ourselves locals after leaving behind the bustle of a more urban lifestyle back in the mid-1990s for the serenity of the shore. We couldn’t have guessed back then that our 40-acre plot in Hayes, Virginia, would not just be the ideal place for three boys to grow up, but also a coveted spot to harvest oys

I’d love to tell you the first time I bit into an oyster my life changed. The truth is my first taste of the shellfish as a teenager at an Ocean City restaurant on vacation with my parents didn’t leave an impression. Now my second experience is a memory worth sharing. When my wife, Cathy, and I first moved to our home in Hayes going on 30 years ago, we were immediately befriended by a Guineaman by the name of Harry Truman Smith. He was such an affable fellow that he took me o

Not all oysters are the same. Some grow big. Others stay small. We harvest all sizes at Big Island Aquaculture. Most of ours can be enjoyed at the raw bar, a sensory experience where you can inhale the salty aroma while slurping the sweet and briny oyster taste. It’s up to you whether you want to add a squirt of lemon, cocktail or hot sauce. Use the bigger guys, those in excess of 4 inches, in soups or stews or for oysters Rockefeller. That fancy name refers to oysters on the