Clambake, Shellfishing, Schultzy's, Oyster Bay

Downeaster Schultzy

Schultzy's off-premise seafood catering has prepared fresh clam and oyster feasts for weddings, BBQs, birthdays, company picnics, and even Billy Joel!

Fishing boat with the name Alexa

It was one of the first days of the real summer season last year. It was a particularly long winter and a cool spring on the bay, and all of the baymen were itching to stretch out and open it up a bit on the water. For the first time in months I was in shorts, flip flops and a tee shirt, and ready to dig a little further from home base; one of those days that makes you feel good about digging for a living. It almost didn’t matter whether I found a productive spot to fish in for the day. I was just happy to be alive.

After digging near the shore for a while, I cruised through the harbor further out toward the Long Island Sound. I slowly hugged the shore, taking in the beautiful coastline of the island. Just as I was about to crank it up, I noticed a guy at the end of a dock that led to one of those incredible Gold Coast homes you see in magazines. He was whistling and waving me over, so I let off a little and turned to head toward him. As I pulled closer to the dock, I realized that the nondescript guy in a baseball hat gesturing to me was none other than Billy Joel.

The Billy Joel. As in, The Piano Man.

Mind you, this wasn’t the first time I met Billy. The cool thing about this guy is that even though he is one of the most recognizable people on the planet, he’s first and foremost a Long Islander. There’s absolutely no pretense about him whatsoever, and he treats everyone he meets the same. Aside from his obvious musical talent, the people around here know him as a dedicated fisherman and motorcycle enthusiast. I would venture to say that if you asked him, even he would say he considers himself more of a biker and a fisherman than a musician.

In 2010 when he opened his bike shop, 20th Century Cycles, it was (of course) right in the heart of downtown Oyster Bay. Vicky and I catered the party, because someone told him I had a killer raw bar and that I was a local guy.

That’s the Billy Joel we know around here.

So when he waved me over, I instinctively knew he was looking to jawbone about shellfish for a while. Sure enough, we got to talking about the catch this year and what was happening on the water. I had a few clams from the morning in the boat, so we broke them open and enjoyed a few of Oyster Bay’s treasures, skipping the empty shells along the surface of the water. After a half-an-hour of trading fishing stories, we shook hands and I was back on my way out to the "office."

See you on the water. Call me later.

- Jimmy

Recent Articles