VIRGINIA BEACH — We are fortunate to have Lynnhaven oysters, a product of the Lynnhaven River basin located at the headwaters of the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.
The storied aquaculture product is in high demand, and the local business Great Neck Oysters is in the process of growing as an oyster producer handling a range of customers — from phone messages for pick-up orders to delivering as a supplier of restaurants and fish markets.
John Nagle’s oyster business sells its products under the brand name Southern Belles.
“Our phone always starts blowing up around the holidays,” said Nagle, a dedicated aquafarmer, who harvests up to 5,000 oysters weekly, when we spoke during the busy runup to Thanksgiving.
Nagle founded the business in 2014 while still working in the banking industry, and he knew it had potential. His close friend, the late Corey Vann, was part of the business in its early days.
By 2021, Nagle left banking and began raising and harvesting oysters fulltime.
“I didn’t want to stay in banking,” Nagle said. “I said, ‘I’m going to go head first into doing this.’”
Nagle’s day typically begins around 7:30 a.m. or at low tide. We spoke after he’d returned from harvesting Thanksgiving orders and “transferring new seeds into bags for better growth.”
Talk about growth.
Nagle once showed me that a Lynnhaven oyster can grow several inches inches in width. These are less common for consumers, but there is a specialized market for oysters at that size. Big specimens are referred to locally as “Lynnhaven Legends,” and they are a sight to behold.
“I absolutely loved them,” Nagle said about oysters. “I had the opportunity to get out on the water about 10 years ago and work on some wild beds. I loved every second of it and knew I had to learn more about how to grow them.”
It requires hard work, but the rewards are substantial — he is producing as many as 5,000 marketable oysters each week and continues to grow.
The sandy, near-shoal area has a mix of salty and fresh-water currents that gives the oysters a flavor that distinguishes them from wild oysters found in the watersheds of the Eastern Shore.
The bottom where he grows them helps.
“It’s sandy, so our oysters are cleaner, by not growing in a muddy churn,” he said. “The water flow gives Lynnhaven oysters a unique taste — salty with a sweet finish on the back end that no other oyster has.”
In developing a brand, Nagle ran the name Southern Belles by a few chefs he knows, and they thought it would enhance their marketability.
He said he wanted to play off the expression Southern charm since his aquacultural business was in southeastern Virginia.
“Rappahannock oysters offer a buttery, full-bodied taste, while Lynnhaven River oysters have a salt-forward flavor,” said Jones, the son of a third-generation oysterman and board chairperson of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
He added that they have “a hint of sweetness on the backend.”
People become fans when they try them, Nagle said.
Some try them right from the shell, and others cook them.
“I love oysters roasted,” Nagle said, “and I prepare them Southern Belle style, using a recipe that includes toasted garlic, butter, black pepper and smoked paprika. That’s my favorite way to prepare them. Many of my friends and clients enjoy them that way.”
There are always options when it comes to preparing and enjoying oysters grown right here in Virginia Beach.
“Roasted, pan-seared, raw, steamed and fried,” Nagle said. “I don’t think I’ve encountered a way that I don’t like them.”
The author is a writer and documentary filmmaker who grew up in Norfolk and lived in Virginia Beach for much of his life. He ran a production company, worked in college athletics and was curator at an art gallery in Virginia Beach for years.
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