Lady Oyster
EST. 2024
Phippsburg, Maine
Meet Maine’s first “oyster-centric” food tour company offering oyster sommelier-led tastings and sea farm boat tours along the craggy coast of Carrying Place Cove.
Farm-to-table - Wine Tastings - Education
Reasons To Go
Join Captain Joe Jerome for a private boat cruise to Cape Small where you’ll get an up-close look at an oyster farm, learn how to cull and shuck, and take in beautiful seaside scenery along the way.
Explore a Working Oyster Farm from the Water
During Lady Oyster’s guided tastings, founder Virginia Shaffer examines the nuances of how MidCoast Maine’s microclimates (or “merroir”) influence flavors, shares farm stories, and offers tasting profiles.
Savor the Brine
This two-hour class teaches the best methods for oyster shucking, offers an overview of the region’s oyster farming traditions, and includes a lesson on making lobster rolls stuffed with steamed local crustaceans.
Master the Art of Shucking
Take a Deeper Dive into Maine’s Oyster Culture
Lady Oyster organizes all-inclusive, four-day Maine Seafood Retreats, which include tastings, shucking school, and a sunset oyster farm cruise, as well as a boat trip on New Meadows River, a visit to a local oyster bar, a lobster bake, and plenty of time for exploring the coast.
“Our hope is to establish a needed role in food appreciation as ambassadors for Maine’s most sustainable aquaculture industry, imparting Maine’s ecological value through unforgettable gastronomic experiences.”
— Virginia Shaffer, Founder
What Rings True — The Cowbell Collection
Agriculture
Shellfish aquaculture is organic, with oysters fed by the tides and supported by farmers in protection, growth, shape, and size.
Locality
Lady Oyster seeks to connect travelers to the environmental and cultural heritage of Maine by sharing stories about the people and places behind local shellfish.
Enrichment
Meet The Steward
Lady Oyster founder Virginia Shaffer spent eight years documenting the stories behind America’s oyster farmers before launching her business along a working waterfront in Phippsburg, Maine. She uses her expertise as an Oyster Master Guild trained oyster sommelier and her gift for storytelling to create sensory tastings, held on the rooftop of an old general store overlooking the water.
Virginia Shaffer
Founder & Oyster Sommelier