Tag: nys grown & certified

Toasted Oysters, an Islip-based oyster farming company founded in 2023, will showcase its harvests to a national audience at the 2025 Ryder Cup. The local Blue Point oysters from the Great South Bay will be featured in New York State’s Taste NY tent on Friday, Sept. 26.

Founded by longtime friends Mike Miezianka and Ray Smith, the company is rooted in post-retirement transitions and a newfound passion for oyster farming. Miezianka, approaching retirement from the NYPD, was seeking something farming-related, having grown up in Speonk in a agricultural community. Not yet ready to retire, Smith continues to work in healthcare, and both had served together in a side gig with a private ambulance company. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a conversation with Smith — who had recently taken an oyster farming course — sparked the idea that eventually became Toasted Oysters.

Both partners spent several years learning the trade, including the wholesale operation, volunteering on established oyster farms in the region and gaining the practical experience needed to launch their own firm.

“We thought, ‘This is an ideal business venture we should do.’ It’s a very labor-intensive job, but the end result is so rewarding,” Miezianka said.

Those rewards include the flavor and quality of the Blue Point oysters.

“They’ve got that sweet salty flavor from the Great South Bay,” Smith said of the oysters, adding, “we have a good run of water that’s ripping through that area.”

These oysters, Smith said, are “overwintered,” where they hibernate during the winter months, and are often meatier as a result.

Miezianka and Smith became part of a close-knit community of roughly two dozen oyster farmers operating in that area.

“It’s definitely relationship-based,” Miezianka said of the community. “No one’s undercutting each other and trying to get more sales – that really doesn’t happen in the Great South Bay.”

The partnerships enabled the farm to gain traction. The company has gradually begun expanding into the direct-to-consumer space.

The farm is certified under the New York State Grown & Certified program, and monitored by the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation. This includes regular inspections of harvest logs, temperature records and product handling. The certification gives consumers confidence in the safety and sustainability of the oysters and positions Toasted Oysters as a trusted supplier within both wholesale and retail markets.

The farm’s participation in the Ryder Cup emerged through the Taste NY program, which periodically highlights regional food producers at high-profile events. Toasted Oysters applied through an open call shared with Grown & Certified vendors and was selected to represent the state at this international tournament. The opportunity offers exposure to a global audience and provides a platform to introduce their oysters, and Long Island’s shellfish heritage, to a wider market.

At the Ryder Cup, Toasted Oysters will be stationed at the Taste NY tent near the Cup Pro Shop on Friday, Sept. 26, from 3-7 p.m. Visitors will be able to sample freshly harvested oysters, meet the founders and learn more about the company. The event also allows Toasted Oysters to distribute marketing materials and build connections with chefs, consumers and potential partners beyond the New York region.

“The Ryder Cup is more than just a world-class sporting event – it’s a major economic and cultural moment for the entire region,” Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine has said about the event.

Toasted Oyster expects to bring about 1,500 oysters.

“We’ll be bringing the oysters there – freshly harvested. We’ll be shucking them. There’ll be some accoutrements,” Miezianka said.

The accoutrements are Smith’s creation.

“I serve the oysters a little bit differently than some other people do,” Smith said, adding that one sauce has “a little bit of kimchi,” another features raspberry jalapeño, and there are two other varieties.

Looking ahead to the Ryder Cup, the partners are eager to share their knowledge about their oysters to those stopping by the tent.

“We’re ready for the stage,” Smith said.