The Hands That Works The Oyster

Rodney Clark

Known as the ‘Messiah of the Mollusk,’ Rodney Thomas Clark has spent nearly three decades helping North Americans unlock the succulent secrets of shellfish.

A native of Summerside, P.E.I., Rodney attended Maine’s Portland School of Art and seemed destined for a career in commercial art until he answered a tiny ad in a Toronto paper that read: ‘Wanted: An Oyster Man.”

A few years later, those four simple words would lead to the creation of ‘Rodney’s Oyster House.’ Its doors would open on December 10th, 1987, the day after the government instituted a national shellfish ban because of an outbreak of toxic mussels. As Rodney admits, the timing was unfortunate but “it was great publicity.” Twenty years later, Rodney’s has become a Toronto institution and one of Canada’s best Oyster houses. It now distributes a million pieces of shellfish a year.

His simple love affair with the Oyster has taken Rodney into previously uncharted waters. Now Canada’s most visible and colourful Oysterman, Rodney has appeared on countless radio and television programs, most recently ‘Glutton For Punishment’ on the Food Network. He and his Oyster House have also been featured in most major magazines and newspapers, including the New York Times, Gourmet Magazine and Toronto Life.

Rodney has shucked professionally on four continents and has served Oysters to the royalty of society, from Princess Margaret to Sweet Daddy Siki. Other well known clients have included William Shatner, the Rolling Stones, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Wilt Chamberlain, Bobby Orr, and the 2008 gold-medal winning Canadian Olympic Rowing team.

A long time competitive shucker, Rodney is a three time Canadian Oyster Shucking Champion. He has represented Canada twice at the World Championships in Galway, Ireland and in 1995 won first prize for ‘Best Presentation.’

Rodney’s children have also taken a keen interest in Oysters.

Son Eamon continues his father’s shucking legacy. A Canadian Oyster shucking champion, he finished second at the 2007 World Championships, where he also duplicated his dad’s win for ‘Best Presentation.’

Daughter Bronwyn is the front of house manager at Rodney’s Oyster House in Toronto and an accomplished Oyster presenter in her own right.

Very much a family enterprise, Rodney inherited his business philosophy from his dad, who told him early on: “Serve a good Oyster to a good person and you’ll have a customer forever.”

As Rodney says today: “I still give out good Oysters. And I’m still discovering good people.”

A. Dale Small - General Manager

Dale was born and raised in Summerside, PEI. He grew up a few streets away from Rodney and began his association with the Oyster business as a child. In 1978, Dale joined the Federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans as a Fisheries Officer and was responsible for law enforcement in Bedeque Bay, the largest public Oyster fishery in Canada.

In 1982, Dale was appointed Manager of the Ellerslie Biological Station, a facility dedicated to Oyster research and development. He was responsible for delivering Oyster development programs for PEI, managing the shellfish leasing program and a staff of over 100 people.

After 14 years as manager of the Biological Station, he transferred to DFO headquarters in Charlottetown and continued his involvement in the Oyster industry. His career allowed him to explore and experience the Oyster industry and its development over North America’s East Coast and Europe. He was also one of the key people involved in developing P.E.I.`s very successful mussel industry.

Having explored every waterway on PEI over the years, Dale retired from DFO in 2006 as the Chief of the Aquaculture Division for PEI. It is a dream come true to have the opportunity to apply all his accumulated knowledge and help his friend Rodney grow Oysters that please the customer and instill pride in the Rodney’s team.

Dean MacEachern - Plant Manager

Another PEI native, Dean has spent most of his life on or near the water. He is noted for his ability to do the work of at least two other people. Dean knows the waters of Hillsborough Bay and St. Peter’s Island, the area where Rodney’s new leases are located, “like his own backyard” and has fished lobster and crab out of Nine Mile Creek for over 25 years. Dean has also been a fall season Oyster fisher for 25 years, and his reputation for supplying the best quality PEI Oysters is legendary. Dean has spent some years working at the Ocean Choice-Morningstar fish plant in Victoria, PEI, an experience that prepared him well for his responsibilities as plant manager at Rodney’s. He’s also served as an auxiliary RCMP officer for 18 years. Like Dale, Dean is excited about Rodney’s vision for Oysters.

Ron Hagen - Oyster Grower

As one of P.E.I.`s major Oyster growers, Ron never stops working. Ron collects his own Oyster seed at the Ellerslie Biological Station and grows it out in floating bags, on the seabed in Mill River, and elsewhere in western PEI. Ron is one of the new breed of growers. He is innovative, dedicated, and unafraid to seek new directions in Oysters, and he has earned a well-deserved reputation for honesty and integrity. Ron is one of Rodney’s main suppliers of seed and market Oysters, and looks forward to a long and prosperous relationship. In addition to Oysters, Ron is also a force in the mussel industry.

David Lewis - Oyster grower

David, of Cascumpec, PEI, is a lobster fisher, mussel grower, seed grower, Oyster grower and entrepreneur. He owns leases in various locations on PEI, including Salutation Cove, one of PEI most productive areas. David, like Ron Hagen, is a new breed of grower with an impeccable reputation for hard work and honesty. David has served as the President of the PEI Shellfish Association, the PEI Oyster Growers Association, and is currently a member of the PEI Shellfish Leasing Management Board. David is a seed and market Oyster supplier, and Rodney’s is proud to associate with Oyster people of the caliber of Ron and David. He too, looks forward to a successful, long-term business relationship with Rodney’s.