Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship
BURLINGTON – This year, Roland Carpenter was determined to win the Ernest Hemingway lookalike competition at the second annual Oysterfest celebration.
Having lost at the first Oysterfest’s lookalike competition to an older-looking Hemingway, he vowed this year would be different.
“I even shaved my mustache shorter for this.” Carpenter said.
In the end, the younger-looking Hemingway emerged victorious. It was just part of the fun of Oysterfest, held earlier this month at Original Skiff Fish and Oysters restaurant at Hotel Champlain.
In addition to the Hemingway lookalike competition, the event included two oyster bars with assorted seafood and condiments, beer from Zero Gravity Brewing, and music by Local Dork.
After seeing a great deal of success in the first Oysterfest, the second event was intended to be an invitation to the community, said Lindsay Jackson, general manager of Original Skiff.
“It’s a great chance to show people who we are and what we’re about, throw a party, get locals involved and eat some oysters.” Jackson said.
Original Skiff is fairly new to the restaurant scene in Burlington, open just under two years. The founders seek to bring more fresh seafood to town.
The restaurant aims to provide a unique coastal tavern experience with a local hideaway atmosphere, said Chris Goss, director of Human Resources for Heirloom Hospitality, the brand owner of Original Skiff.
“We have a commitment in this space to try and bring fun to the darkness of winter. And we thought that maybe Original Skiff could be a hideaway for people to get out of the dark and the cold and remember that life can be fun.” Goss said.
Around 80 people came and went from the restaurant during the event, gathering around the bar, tables and music booth. Staff went around the room offering appetizers such as Cuban sandwiches and fried oysters.
Sous chef Gab Tomline discussed what brought her to Original Skiff as she shucked oysters at the bar for customers. She said she loved the staff and the strong community they had built.
“I knew that I was going to be working with a lot of really great people and that I was going to learn a lot,” she said.
Sunny Francis, an Oysterfest attendee from New York City, said the environment at the event was exquisite.
“I think this could fit in perfectly as a restaurant in downtown Manhattan,” she said. “Great people, great energy, great amenities all around.”