In the fall of 2012, Forty North Oyster Farm had just begun planting their first crop of oysters. Mere days later, Hurricane Sandy hit the Eastern seaboard, destroying coastal towns and remaking the shoreline. “Of the 300 or so houses in Mantoloking, 50 or 60 of them were missing after Sandy,” said founder and farmer Matt Gregg. “We were cleaning up plastic and debris for months, and it was incredible how the contents of people’s lives were scattered all across the bay.”

One year later, the farm has certainly gone through growing pains but is stronger than ever after the disaster. Matt is expecting his first commercial oyster crop to go to market next spring, and looks forward to sharing his oysters with diners and chefs. He recently added a new partner to the Forty North team, NYC restauranteur Chris Cannon, who will be opening a new restaurant in Morristown next spring. Located inside the historic Vail Mansion, the restaurant will feature Forty North as the house oyster. It is a well-deserved coup for the farm after a rough year.

Last weekend, the NY Oyster Lovers Meetup took a field trip to Forty North Oyster Farm to meet Matt and his partners Scott and Serafina. The drive to Mantoloking was scenic, though if you looked closely, you could see oddly placed sand dunes and abandoned boats, the reminders of Sandy’s power.

We began with a hike through Forsythe Wildlife Refuge, a network of coastal wetlands and marshes. Hawks flew overhead the flame-tipped trees, as we made our way toward the water. Here too there were souvenirs from the hurricane: random planks, lattice fencing, plastic lids and more.
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