Page 112 - PROTAGONIST 117

PROTAGONIST / GLUTTONY

OYSTERS

PLEASURE

For an event or an evening which is out of the ordinary,

Oystertainment of-fers a tasting service and

pairing experience dedicated to this ex-quisite shellfish

ike many successful projects, Red Oyster the Wijn’s outstanding products, was conceived off the bat.
started life as a venture embarked upon for A challenge in a country where oysters are still viewed with a
fun, thanks to the passion for oysters of degree of suspicion.
Mariangela Lugli, one of the current own- A few months later, what might have seemed like fantasy was
L ers, and a friendship which came about by transformed into reality, and in a very short space of time.
chance. It was 2014 when Mariangela met the Wijn fami- The Italian team created and captained by Mariangela was
ly, the Dutch owners of outstanding oyster farms scattered then joined by her sister Francesca. Its first task was to coin a
around Holland, France and Ireland, whilst skiing in Italy. term to define the innovative service being offered: Oyster-
The Dutch are avid oyster consumers, much more so than tainment®. A word which sums up the concept conveyed by
Italians, and the family had come up with a smart, innovative the company: entertainment with oysters. And indeed that is
service for their customers: the oysters were shucked by qual- what it is all about. Having Red Oyster at an event is not just
ified staff right in front of clients. No buffets prepared be- about offering one’s guests oysters. It involves actually offer-
forehand, just absolute freshness and flawless control of the ing them a fully-fledged tasting experience.
oyster. One shellfish dinner, several pistes and one high-alti- Staff members are specifically trained and constantly updat-
tude aperitif later, an idea to create in Italy a service similar ed. They are oyster Sommeliers in their own right, turned
to the one already being offered in Northern Europe, using out in elegant uniforms consisting of a fine leather apron

The Oysertainment events are organised by Red Oyster (redosyter.it), a company founded in 2016 in a joint venture with Dutch business
Oestercompagnie BV. The company specialises in this innovative service which offers a fully-fledged
tasting experience and enogastronomic pairings for this renowned mollusc. The service is tailored to meet the needs of individual clients.

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