Curious Oyster

Oysters can taste salty, milky, sweet, creamy, buttery, briny, brassy and metallic. Some eaters taste melon, lemon, copper or cucumber. All in all, most gourmets can agree that oysters taste good. That’s something Richard Boucher discovered in his 20s, while working for the renowned Whalesbone Oyster House in Ottawa.

Growing up in Ontario, his family’s diet was mostly “dry meat and potatoes. I didn’t even know about oysters growing up,” Richard admits. His love of the ocean and the water made oysters a point of fascination. On the job at the Whalesbone Oyster House, he uncovered his latent love for oysters and earned an education in bivalves. By the time he moved to Vancouver in 2010, Richard had a sophisticated palate for tasting all the nuanced flavours of oysters.

To share his passion for oysters, he started a catering company. He and his partner, Ricky, built an antique wooden bar and acquired a collection of vintage serving ware. After finding a couple of bow ties and a staff of charming, dapper shuckers, the Curious Oyster Company was born.