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An Indigenous Family’s Oyster Business
Indigenous tribes might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Louisiana, where Spanish and French cultures have dominated. But the state’s history is rich with First Nations people, as they are known in Canada, or Native Americans as some call them here.
That is especially true when it comes to seafood. For generations, indigenous families have harvested crabs, shrimp and oysters, gaining leases from the state that gave them fishing rights.
Jason Pitre and his family, members of the Houma people, are among them. He, his brother and their mother, the former chief of the Houma tribe, are following in the footsteps of the family patriarch, who held oyster leases in the bayou.
I met Jason (right in the photo), Josh and their mother Brenda Darder Robichaux recently at an event sponsored by Gambit, the New Orleans news magazine. They brought their Bayou Rosa oysters to Sidecar, one of the restaurants in New Orleans to which they supply seafood.
Oystering has been a tradition in the family and the United Houma Tribe for generations. Brenda’s father and the men's grandfather. Antoine “Whitney” Dardar, was a long time fisherman and seafood harvester in Lafourche Parish, which is south west of New Orleans.
It was the only profession open to him at the time, Josh explained. In his era, Louisiana schools for indigenous children did not go beyond the seventh grade. He would have to leave the area to attend school elsewhere, or find work.
The family held leases on natural Gulf oyster beds, which Whitney farmed for decades, harvesting oyster nets by hand in a long, narrow canoe called a pirogue.
Changing methods
But in the 2000s, he began to see the impact of climate change on the Gulf, and the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill forced him out of the water. When he returned after the clean up several years later, the seascape had changed so much that he got lost in waters he had navigated all his life.
At the urging of his daughter and grandsons, he decided to try farming oysters. That process involves placing small rectangular cages in the water in an effort to attract them, similar to farming for lobsters. Dozens can grow in one cage. Once the oysters are large enough, the cage is emptied and reset.
The family got permission to begin in 2018. But subsequent storms and Hurricane Ida damaged the aquatic acres they had been allowed to farm. Oysters grow in salt water, and the storms swept fresh water from the Mississippi River into the Gulf, killing them.
“We’ve seen the land wash away, the salt water kill, the beautiful oak trees that we used to have in our community gone,” says Josh.
Finally, Bayou Rosa began to get on its feet, only to have the pandemic strike and affect potential restaurant customers. But by 2022, Bayou Rosa was harvesting 20,000 to 30,000 oysters annually. The brothers are aiming to double the number of cages they have in the water this year.
“The coast is going to keep changing, and not for the good,” says Jason. “We have to be prepared for that, and keep (refining) our technique.”
Tasty oysters with a distinct flavor
At the event, guests were invited to nosh on as many oysters as they liked (the shells were set aside for erosion reclamation efforts). Bayou Rosa oysters are relatively small, compared with the monster oysters you sometimes see in restaurants, with a distinct briny flavor that comes from the warm salt waters. They needed only a squeeze of lemon or a splash of the jackfruit mignonette that the restaurant whipped up.
Brenda recalls her father’s delight whenever he went out to check his oyster nets. Each had a rope at the end to secure the fabric. “Every time he untied that rope, he was anxious to see what blessings the creator had left him,” she said. “It was like untying a ribbon at Christmas. To live your life feeling that you were experiencing Christmas every day, and your life is worth that blessing.”
But her father saw changes coming before he died. “He saw the writing on the wall that the future was not there,” she says.
Whitney was excited to see his daughter graduate from high school in the first year that tribal children were allowed to attend, and his grandsons go to college, opportunities he did not receive. When Jason approached him with the idea of farming oysters, “he knew that in order to maintain our culture, this is what he had to do,” she says.
Brenda, who wears a necklace with the beaded insignia of her tribe, feels her father’s presence as Bayou Rosa continues to grow. “I’m sure you can feel it as well,” she told me. “We’re just honored that you are here eating his oysters. I know he is smiling down on us.”
Keep an eye out if you visit New Orleans restaurants for Bayou Rosa oysters. You can follow the business at www.bayourosaoysters.com.
Where Did All The Workers Go?
You probably read a lot about The Great Departure during the pandemic, when several million people who left their jobs.
You might have the impression, given employment statistics, that many have gone back and that others may have taken their slots. That is not the case, according to a new Brookings study. It charts two key workforce statistics.
Workforce participation is down by 1.4 million people since the start of the pandemic. Brookings says there are four main reasons why people initially left: cash payments to households in 2020 and 2021 that made it easier for some people to postpone looking for a new job; fear of catching COVID; long-COVID symptoms that make it difficult to work; and changing work-life balance preferences.
The fourth reason seems to have the longest-lasting effect, reflected in the number of hours worked per week. According to Brookings, “Participation has fallen substantially more among older adults, many of whom are homeowners who benefited from rising house prices. It has also fallen more for white non-Hispanics, who, on average, have higher incomes than other workers.”
The study doesn’t mention working from home or remote jobs. However, that flexibility has had an enormous effect on all aspects of American society that we are only beginning to realize. It has emptied office buildings, eliminated commutes and conversely, spurred activities closer to peoples’ homes.
You can see the impact of both statistics on restaurants, which are open fewer hours, and busy at times they may not have previously been, given the rise in remote work that gives people more control over their schedules.
I’m keeping on top of these shifts and will share more as I find it.
My First Year In New Orleans Is Wrapping Up
At this time last year, I was mourning the loss of Maxine, preparing for an estate sale and putting my mother’s home on the market, and getting ready to set off for New Orleans.
Now I am packing here and preparing for a reverse trip. I am heading back to Ann Arbor next week, via a stop in Chicago. I’m taking Amtrak, which I have always wanted to do, riding on The City of New Orleans.
Hopefully, we won’t be too delayed along the way. After seeing friends and some exploring around the Windy City, I’ll hop The Wolverine home.
I have a number of book related events on my schedule (more on those below) and since summers in New Orleans can be brutal, my plan is to be up north until around Labor Day or a little later, then head south again. There is nothing like Halloween or Christmas in New Orleans and then there’s Mardi Gras…
In the meantime, I wrote for The Takeout on 10 things I’ve discovered this year about the New Orleans food scene, and which I hope you will experience.
They include bagels, gelato, Black-owned restaurants, Asian food and lots more. Enjoy the classics, of course, but there is so much more here beyond the cliches.
https://thetakeout.com/10-great-foods-in-new-orleans-you-didnt-know-about-1850275277
Along with dining, I hope you will experience New Orleans hospitality. On Thursday, my friend Carlie Kollath Wells and I went to Commander’s Palace to celebrate her new job writing for the upcoming Axios New Orleans newsletter.
A lovely older lady sat by herself at the table next to us. Her name was Miss Regina and she was marking her 82nd birthday. She told us she took the St. Charles Avenue streetcar to get there, and “people were packed in like sardines!”
My friend Emily Ruthos Shaya of Pomegranate Hospitality came over to say hello to us. Miss Regina asked her to take her photo and then everyone realized it was Miss Regina’s big day.
Out came balloons, a festive chef’s hat and we sang Happy Birthday. When Miss Regina tried to pay her bill, our server Robert told her that her credit card was no good: her check had already been paid. (I had offered, but Emily got there first.)
I walked Miss Regina out, and asked if she needed a taxi or an Uber. No, she said, and turned right to walk to St. Charles and catch the streetcar home. My new life goal: be Miss Regina when I am 82.
Keeping Up With CulinaryWoman
It was so nice to see CulinaryWoman reader Rosemary at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum last weekend. That is me with SoFAB founder and author Liz Williams. Todd Price of USA Today’s Southern network took the photo.
Lots coming up on my calendar concerning Satisfaction Guaranteed.
— The Michigan Night for Notables on April 22 in Lansing. More information here. https://www.libraryofmichiganfoundation.com/mnbnightfornotables
— On May 2, I will be participating in the Nashville Jewish Book Series sponsored by the Gordon Jewish Community Center. Details here: https://www.nashvillejcc.org/events/2023/05/02/arts-culture/micheline-maynard-nashville-jewish-book-series/
I’m excited about my tour of Michigan libraries in June. I’ll have more details as the dates get closer.
Feel free to contact me to arrange an event or to suggest a story idea. My email address is culinarywoman@gmail.com.
I am on Instagram (at) michelinemaynard and my New Orleans adventures are (at) micki_in_nola.
Stay healthy and happy holidays to everyone celebrating one. I’ll see our paid subscribers tomorrow with Red Beams and Advice and everyone else next Sunday.