An extension from the founders of the iconic Kimball House in Decatur, Georgia, Shiny Dimes make their way through the South
If there is a mecca for the Southern oyster experience, it’s Kimball House in Decatur, Georgia. Within the walls of a former train depot that evokes a turn-of-the-last-century aesthetic, Southern oysters are placed on a pedestal, celebrated and precisely shucked—a siren call for oyster lovers who want to know thy farmer. It’s also the birthplace of Oyster South, a thriving nonprofit that unites the world of Southern Oysters.
So, naturally, the cofounders of Kimball House are now farming their own oysters. Opened in 2013 by Bryan Rackley, Miles Macquarrie, Matt Christison, and Jesse Smith (they’ve since brought on a fifth partner, Kizzy Patel), Kimball House is a restaurant and bar first—an oyster list was baked into the concept from the jump. Rackley, who oversees the oyster program, started sourcing oysters from the Northeast and West coasts—but soon, he was ordering directly from farms and getting to know the wave of Southern farmers who were starting to bring their oysters to market. That led to farm visits and seeing the action on the water.
“It was this thing that we were not super familiar with, that we just started to completely romanticize, because we fell in love with the food, and then we fell in love with the people, and then we fell in love with the places,” he says. “That was the origin of us thinking: One day we could potentially do this ourselves.”
Their first attempt, which would have involved Rackley and his family moving to Florida to give it a shot, ended up waylaid due to Covid. A year or so later, though, they got a call from Jody Houck, who along with her husband, Dewey, own Cypress Point Oyster Co. in Spring Creek, Florida: A neighboring farmer was giving up his business and looking for a buyer. There was equipment, a boat—the guys could find ways to do it without moving there—and most importantly, the Houcks and other small farmers nearby who could act as mentors and a support system. “It was the best-case scenario for us,” Rackley says.
After a year of getting the equipment in order and planting their first crop— around 40,000 oysters—the first Shiny Dimes were harvested in Spring 2022. The crew pulled oysters out of the water in the morning, drove to Kimball House, and shucked them during a celebratory harvest party that night. “It was kind of terrible, the oysters were so small,” Rackley says with a laugh. But soon there was a steady supply coming from the farm and Shiny Dimes were finding their way to tables outside of Atlanta, like Henrietta Red in Nashville. “The taste is saltier than I have ever had them. I’m getting watermelon radish, a little hyssop, and a heavy dose of shiitake.”
This year’s harvest will likely be closer to 100,000, and Rackley says they won’t go too much bigger. “We’re really just part-timers, and we have other businesses to lean on. I never want to compete with farmers who are doing this full time,” he says.
Even with the back and forth from Atlanta to Spring Creek, the overwhelming amount of work that comes with owning a farm, and the constant threat of hurricane season, Rackley says the team is getting more out of it than they’re putting in. “We love getting away from the city, being on the water. There’s a real sense of purpose, of pride, in completing a very physical job like this. And then you get to go look at the water at the end of the day and enjoy a beer,” he says. But most importantly, he adds, “it’s been a cool opportunity for me to expose my kid to this relationship we share with nature. That’s invaluable.”
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Erin Byers Murray
Erin Byers Murray has been digging into stories about food and wine for more than twenty years. Based in Nashville, she is the editor-in-chief of The Local Palate and has authored or co-authored half a dozen books, including deep dives into oysters and grits, as well as several cookbooks. Her work has been published in multiple publications, including Food & Wine, Wine & Spirits, the Boston Globe, and three editions of Best Food Writing.
