Page 12 - South Mississippi Living - July, 2025
P. 12
Good Times
ON THE HALF SHELL
RNR Winner.
Beach Boulevard Steamer Winner.
Coterie Winner.
COAST NOTE
Gulf Coast Oyster Cookoff & Festival Recap
story by Lynn Lofton photos courtesy of Clear Vision Entertainment
It was a successful year for the Gulf Coast Oyster Cookoff & Festival, along with the companion Rock & Roll Jeep and Car Show. Approximately 2,000 people attended.
Founder and promoter Glenn Mattina
is pleased. “I think everyone had a great time,” he says. “The best part is that we had no lines waiting for oysters. It was the smoothest and most organized event we’ve had.”
Organizers learned from past festivals that they needed to have a lot of shucked oysters ready. That’s why they invested
in 20 sacks of shucked oysters for each participating restaurant to make it easier for them and for people waiting to consume the tasty bivalves. “We fixed two problems we had last year,” Mattina said.
There were five oyster cookoff teams cooking in four categories. For the car show, there were 78 Corvettes and 158 Jeeps. Last year’s cookoff winner, Ryan
Bradley, and chefs Jean Paul Lavaillee and David Dickensauge conducted a blind judging of charbroiled, house specialty, people’s choice and raw oysters for cash and prizes.
“I want to thank the restaurants, sponsors and all who attended,” he said. “Next year we will move it back to Easter weekend.”
Mattina’s roots run deep in the oyster industry and his vision was clear what
he wanted to create with the festival. His grandparents, Noel and Maria Balius, founded Balius & Sons Blacksmith and Iron Works in 1919 and the family business continues. “We dedicated the Gulf Coast Oyster Cookoff & Festival to the Balius family for their more than 100 years of serving oystermen,” he said.
The owner of Clear Vision Entertainment, Mattina likes to promote the area’s restaurants and has a motto of “shop, eat, spend, enjoy local.”
He is also
a supporter
of restoring
the Coast’s oyster
beds with the Mississippi
Oyster Recycling Program.
“Since 2017, we have partnered with The Nature Conservancy in recycling our oyster shells to save local reefs,” he says. “During our inaugural oyster festival, together with Mississippi Commercial Fisheries United, we established their pilot plan for oyster recycling with Gulf Coast seafood restaurants.”
12 | July 2025
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