No one loves oysters more than Halifax Oyster Festival host, Daniel Notkin
Daniel Notkin’s infatuation with the sea started when he was a kid, although he didn’t eat his first oyster until he was 30. Today he is a Canadian championship oyster shucker. He has also competed in China and is the founder of Montreal Oysterfest. But Haligonians probably know him best for his presence at Halifax Oyster Festival Notkin has hosted the shucking competition since our very first festival. He’s known for his enthusiasm, passion and wealth of oyster knowledge. Notkin’s […]
Stay on the Halifax waterfront with the Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel
Halifax Oyster Festival and the Halifax Marriott Habourfront Hotel are teaming up to provide a festival package for out-of-town guests. Stay on the waterfront at the Halifax Marriott Habourfront Hotel and walk down to the festival grounds on the city’s famous boardwalk. Package includes 2 tickets to the festival, one night stay and 25% off food at the Harbourstone restaurant where you can order even more oysters on the half shell. Reserve your room now!
We are taking the Pearl Jam on the road
Our festival’s culinary event, Pearl Jam, combining oysters and cocktails is back—this time we are going on the road. This year we will have Shane Beehan leading a field trip to explore Halifax’s oyster and cocktail scene with designated driving provided by Taste Halifax. During this fun three-hour Pearl Jam tour, the tour bus will visit 5 locations for cocktails and oysters, paired with stories from Beehan. With affable host, reigning Best of Halifax gold-winning Best Bartender and oyster connoisseur, you […]
Shucking on with the John Bil Memorial Trophy
This past January John Bil passed away from cancer at his home in Toronto, Ontario. Bil had been a guest of the Halifax Oyster Festival the past few years, providing encouragement, advice and judging at the front table. To honour his memory and his love of all things oysters we are renaming our annual Nova Scotia Shucking Championship trophy to the John Bil Memorial Trophy. Bil promoted amateurs and pro shuckers alike in everything he did so we hope we […]
What’s new at the 2018 festival?
-More oyster farms! We have 20+ registered oyster farms and depending on water temperature at the time of harvest and CFIA clearance, all should be onsite at the Halifax Oyster Festival. -GIANT oysters, you know, the BIG ONES, that intimidate most of us but are the “pearl” for others, will be served at an extra cost. These mothers will test the most adventuresome of eaters. -A live band will join us on the Friday and Saturday nights. Stay tuned for […]
Remembering John Bil
Today we are remembering John Bil, sustainable seafood champion, master shucker, restauranteur and all around nice guy. Bil was an early supporter of the Halifax Oyster Festival and was extremely generous with his time and advice as a host of the festival’s Pearl Jam culinary event and a judge for our shucking competitions. He was genuine in his love of food and the community of sea farmers. Bil passed away this week from complications from Stage 4 melanoma. Thinking of his family, […]
The Pearl Jam shells out culinary creativity
Ring in Oyster Fest with local chefs, oyster producers and bartenders Back for its second year as an Oyster Festival kick-off is The Pearl Jam, an intimate, chef-focused event hosted by John Bil (owner of Toronto’s Honest Weight) and oyster shucking champ Eamon Clark (of Rodney’s Oyster House, also in TO) and presented by The Coast. “It’s a chance to show off what’s really happening right now in the kitchen,” says Dennis Johnston, the event’s executive chef. “It’s a good platform for that. And I think we need to […]
10 Places to Eat Oysters in Halifax
Oyster Fest is on the horizon, but we don’t blame you if you can’t wait to get your oyster on. If you’re not comfortable shucking at home, fear not: There are plenty of joints in Halifax where you can get ready-to-eat oysters, and many come with a variety of fixings! This list is just a portion of the many places that serve oysters in Halifax. A post shared by The Five Fishermen Restaurant (@5fishermen) on May 4, 2017 at 2:37am […]
Q&A with Shucking Champ Eamon Clark
Eamon Clark has won Canadian Oyster Shucking Championship eight times over. His father Rodney owns Rodney’s Oyster House, a seafood-lover’s dream with locations in both Toronto and Calgary. Eamon, of course, is an in-house shucker. We picked his brain about—well—oysters. As someone with a history of winning, how do you prepare for shucking competitions? I am fortunate enough to work with some of the best oysters in the world and lots of them, we shuck plenty of oysters at Rodney’s […]
How to shuck an oyster like a pro from Taste of Nova Scotia
You’ve probably seen this before, but in case you need to brush up on your skills from Taste of Nova Scotia: If you love fresh Nova Scotia Oysters as much as we do, you probably already know that some work is required to access the delicious inside of these bivalves. At first glance, oyster shucking can appear somewhat intimidating, but learning how to shuck an oyster like a pro may not be as hard as you think. Becoming a competent […]