Gulf Coast Oyster Cook-Off & Festival draws sizzles under clear skies

BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) - If you like oysters, Saturday was for you.

The Gulf Coast Oyster Cook-Off & Festival at Point Cadet Plaza served up the tasty shellfish in as many ways as there were people to enjoy them.

Sometimes, they are a tough shell to crack, but once you’re inside . . .

“Mmmm, delicious!” said festival goer Ronnie Mattina “I can’t wait to eat the oysters, but I like them raw instead of cooked.”

Mattina remembers the day when the oyster industry was golden on the Coast.

“I remember growing up, when you came down to the point down here, there would be oyster piles about maybe 30 to 40-foot high,” he said. “And it would smell just like old oysters. But the people that lived on the point said, ‘That’s the smell of money.’”

While oyster industry tries to rebuild, it continues to be celebrated, even by visitors.

Christine Mikulski and her husband, Walter, are here from Vicksburg for their anniversary.

“Every time we come down here we get fresh oysters,” she said. “So, for me having the access to come to events with music and entertainment and oysters and seafood is exactly what this community is about.”

The locals like all of it as well.

“The food, the music, the entertainment - everything,” said Gulfport resident Bonnie McDaniel. “It’s just getting out greeting with people and having a good time.”

The festival drew an estimated 2,000 people to Point Cadet and about 40 vendors.

Fantashia Connerly, owner of The Dolce Bar, doesn’t sell oysters, but she appreciates them.

“The oysters were very, very good. I did go and taste all of them,” she said. “I’m trying to buy from all the vendors just because it’s my first time here.”

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