Author Archives: Tim

We are humbled to win an Inside Business Entrepreneurial Excellence 2014 Award

Posted on by under Press

Whether it’s caring for dying animals, raising oysters in the Lynnhaven River…

Chris Ludford Owner/Operator, Diversified Marine Services LLC, Virginia Beach

The company doing business as Ludford Brothers Oyster Co. has an operating mission to produce the best oysters for market in a manner that promotes the reputation, seafood and health of the Lynnhaven River.

View our profile at InsideBiz.com.

We are humbled and honored to be among such great Hampton Roads entrepreneurs.
Thank you.

View all Entrepreneurial Excellence 2014 Award winners at InsideBiz.com.

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“… just as meaty and delicious as I remember them to be… I also tried my very first raw pea crab on a Pleasure House Oyster. That… was an experience.”

Posted on by under Photographs, Press

Virginia Is For Oyster Lovers by Julie Qiu at InAHalfShell.com June 2014 about #VACraft:

Although Chris prefers to shuck his oysters on demand, I really liked the presentation of these PHO’s over the dark, leafy kale leaves.

It’s been over a year since I’ve had the ultra boutique Pleasure House Oysters from Lynnhaven River and they are just as meaty and delicious as I remember them to be. Grower Chris Ludford estimates that the salt content from that day’s oysters were around…

Photo Credit: Julie Qiu of InAHalfShell.com

Photo Credit: Julie Qiu of InAHalfShell.com

Thanks for the great report about #VACraft & also for your kind words Julie. Great to meet you in person & we’re happy you had your first oyster pea crab experience with a Pleasure House!

Be sure to read the entire report about the Virginia Craft at Chelsea Market in NYC entitled Virginia Is For Oyster Lovers by Julie Qiu at InAHalfShell.com.

Thank you for choosing Pleasure House Oysters for Virginia Craft at Chelsea Market in NYC

Posted on by under Enjoy, Tasting

We are honored to be among the finest culinary craftsmen in Virginia to represent our state’s best food producers at an event in NYC.

The event, entitled Virginia Craft, was put together by the Virginia is For Lovers campaign to showcase the “best culinary products from Virginia”.

If you’ve tasted a Lynnhaven oyster you know how exceptional they are. Thank you for choosing Pleasure House Oysters to show off the exceptional food coming out of the Lynnhaven.

Virginia Craft at Chelsea Market NYC

Virginia Craft at Chelsea Market NYC

“Pleasure House Oyster … none better!”

Posted on by under Press

Oyster Wars with Camera Cutlass by David Hammond in BeLight The eZine of Kalamazoo College May 2014:

The oysters were much bigger than I’d usually prefer an oyster to be, but each was stunningly delicious, with briny, balanced flavors and beautifully firm flesh.

Terrapin is one of only three restaurants that serve Pleasure House oysters; production at this oyster farm is understandably low.

Pleasure House oysters is one of many farms that have reclaimed their place around Chesapeake Bay. In response to the increasing demand for oysters, companies that had previously gone under are coming back to life, and new companies are starting up; some are doing their best to bring back the old ways of oyster farming.

At the Pleasure House oyster farm, cages are pulled up and the oysters sorted and tumbled by hand. This totally manual approach might seem like a gimmick, but Pleasure House oysters were perhaps the finest oysters I’ve ever eaten.

Pleasure House Oyster … none better! Photo by David Hammond ’73.

Pleasure House Oyster … none better! Photo by David Hammond ’73.

Thank you for your kind words & appreciation David and we look forward to meeting you again!

Be sure to read David Hammond’s entire article entitled Oyster Wars with Camera Cutlass in the The eZine of Kalamazoo College.

Back in November 2013 we were chosen to give a tour of the Lynnhaven to out of town writers.

We were fortunate to have met writer David Hammond on the tour.

We’re profoundly humbled to be mentioned in “THE 30 PLACES TO EAT IN VIRGINIA BEFORE YOU DIE”

Posted on by under Press

Thank you!

Terrapin Restaurant

3102 Holly Road, Suite 514, Virginia Beach, 757-321-6688, terrapinvirginiabeach.com, $$$$

This intimate spot, just a few blocks from the Oceanfront, is an adventure. It’s a blast to see what executive chef Rodney Einhorn has cooked up on a menu that changes seasonally. Local and regional products get center stage, and a favorite dish is one of his varieties of oysters on the half shell. He uses Pleasure House oysters, topped with impossibly tiny bits of pickled apples. The bivalve explodes in your mouth with a saltiness that is at once sweet and tart. But everything done here is done well.

Emphasis ours.

Be sure to check out THE 30 PLACES TO EAT IN VIRGINIA BEFORE YOU DIE !

The 30 Places to Eat in Virginia Before You Die

Please Tell Virginia Legislators: It’s Time to Reduce Polluted Runoff!

Posted on by under Lynnhaven

An excerpt from the letter we wrote Senator McWaters and Delegate DeSteph:

VaAssemblyStormWaterLetter-Jan2014

“Tell your legislators that they must not delay or weaken Virginia’s stormwater management program, that in order to ensure safe, healthy, and productive waters for us all, they must hold firm to the July 2014 implementation deadline.”

Please follow the link to CBF.org:
No delay. No dilution. No exemptions.

Cleaner storm water is better for you, oysters, our quality of life & the economy.

Cleaner storm water is better for you, oysters, our quality of life & the economy.

We made the “10 MOST MEMORABLE OYSTER SLURPS OF 2013”!

Posted on by under Press

Julie Qui from InAHalfShell.com December 23 2013:

Ultra fresh, sweet and salty. I couldn’t get enough of them and neither could my coworkers.

Thanks for the kind words Julie. We look forward to your visit and we’ll do our best to make #1 in 2014!

Be sure to read the entire article entitled “10 MOST MEMORABLE OYSTER SLURPS OF 2013” at InAHalfShell.com.

After savoring the lively liquid (of which there was plenty), I slurped up the slippery, oversized shellfish and started chewing (something I began doing at the behest of the oyster experts around me, and it makes sense…”

Posted on by under Lynnhaven, Press, Tasting

Erik Mathes from The Daily Meal November 21 2013:

For starters, these are no ordinary oysters in terms of dimension: they’re huge. Sipping the liquor, you get a refreshing, briny taste that snaps across your palate. It’s an instant, salty awakening of the senses and an excellent indication of what’s to follow.

If you’re intrigued with the Pleasure House Oysters process and you’re around Virginia Beach, try out their goods at one of the aforementioned restaurants and see what you think. Their size, shells, and taste are bound to impress, but it’s their positive impact on the environment that’s their most profound distinction.

Be sure to read the entire article entitled “Pleasure House Oysters: Reviving Virginia’s Lynnhaven River” at The Daily Meal.

We were able to be on Hearsay with Cathy Lewis on WHRO on Monday. Thank you!

Posted on by under Lynnhaven

Mom Ludford got to talk with members of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Wetland’s Watch, the Virginia Conservation Network, and The Army Corps of Engineers about the state of the Chesapeake Bay and the best practices for preserving its health and usability live on the award winning Hearsay with Cathy Lewis on WHRO this past Monday.

It was a great discussion, including Cathy taking phone calls and the panel answering questions about steps we need to take to continue to improve our waters.

We encourage you to listen to the show!

Follow this link to more about the show including Hearsay’s link to listen On Demand.

Hopefully the next show, Chris can make it to the studio and bring some samples of the renowned Lynnhaven oyster with him. (He had to take advantage of Mother Nature’s help working on the Lynnhaven at a much lower tide thanks to the full moon.)

One of the many cages we sorted Monday

One of the many cages we sorted Monday

Thanks for allowing us to collaborate with Lynnhaven River NOW, Buy Fresh Buy Local Hampton Roads & the Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Posted on by under Lynnhaven, Photographs

Lynnhaven River NOW, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Buy Fresh Buy Local Hampton Roads collaborated on a tour of three different oyster reefs in the Lynnhaven, accompanied by oyster experts who explain[ed] the habitat and history of our famous Lynnhaven oysters.

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We showed off some monster wild Lynnhavens we recently discovered. It is not sustainable to eat them yet so it was strickly show & tell.

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With improved storm water management practices being worked on by the City, Lynnhaven River NOW, the Army Corp of Engineers, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation & others and with the growing aqua culture business in the Lynnhaven – there are 23 million oysters being raised in the Lynnhaven today – it might be possible some day to enjoy eating wild Lynnhavens again.

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It was nice to get together with so many folks who appreciate the Lynnhaven and her oysters.

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Some were old friends but there were many new ones; foodie folks who are eating and writing about Lynnhaven oysters.

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They are our newest driving force to raise awareness about the importance of clean waters and clean oysters.

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