Female oyster shuckers put N.C. on the map

North Carolina’s most famous oyster shuckers are three women from Brunswick County who won a slew of state titles at the annual North Carolina Oyster Festival at Ocean Isle Beach and then went on to win a total of 18 U.S. shucking championships.

 

They are: Cathy (Carlyle) Milliken of Supply, who has nine national titles; Annie Bonifacio of Supply, who’s won five U.S. championships; and Lisa Bellamy of Shallotte, who has claimed four.

Oyster Annie

 

They have dominated the sport of shucking from 1986 forward. Virginia is the only other state to have produced double-digit winners during this time period. 

At the U.S. Oyster Festival, which is held in Leonardtown, Md., the winners of the men’s and women’s divisions square off to determine the “overall shucking champion.” The champ earns the right to advance to represent the United States at the world’s premier oyster shucking competition – the Galway (Ireland) International Oyster and Seafood Festival. 

Annie Bonifacio bested her male U.S. opponent in 2002, and Cathy Milliken did the same back in 1986. Each held her own against the top shuckers in the world in Ireland. Making the story even better is that Annie is Cathy’s niece, according to Lynn Seldon of Our State magazine. 

As a teenager, Annie spent much of her spare time working in Lloyd Milliken’s Oyster House in Shallotte. “She shucked up to 100 pints of oysters a day,” Seldon wrote. “When you’re paid by the pint, it’s important to be good – and fast.” 

Annie was just 21 years old when she went to Ireland. Before the trip, the Wilmington StarNews reported: “If Ms. Bonifacio is skilled enough to beat all her competitors, she’ll be the first woman to win the title of ‘World’s Best Oyster Shucker.’” 

The article noted that the Brunswick County Chamber of Commerce in Shallotte, which hosts the N.C. Oyster Festival, and Milliken’s Seafood restaurant in Shallotte covered the cost of airfare and hotel accommodations. “Other expenses, for clothing and meals, are looming,” the StarNews commented.

 

“‘The main expense is going to be buying formal dresses for the event,’ Ms. Bonifacio said. ‘There are two formal dinners, and I don’t have a thing to wear.’” Local people took up a collection, so she’d be properly attired for the Irish audience. 

The first American shucker to win at Galway was Cornelius Mackall of Prince Frederick, Md., in 1976. More than 30 years passed before another American would claim the top spot. 

He was William “Chopper” Young of Wellfleet, Mass. Young won the Galway contest in 2008 – by a whisker. 

Chopper and Ireland’s Michael Moran each opened 30 oysters in 2 minutes and 47 seconds flat. Young was declared the tournament champion due to his perfect score on presentation, while Moran was assessed some penalty points from the judges. 

Chopper Young won two U.S. “overall titles” during his shucking career. The runner-up both times was Cathy Milliken. 

For North Carolinians, the road to Galway begins at Ocean Isle Beach. This year’s N.C. Oyster Festival is Oct. 21-22. “It’s a “giant oyster roast and something everyone should see…and taste…at least once,” Lynn Seldon said.

 

“When the oysters are ready, it takes two volunteers to lift a rack and pour the just-opening delicacies onto tables, where they’re scooped into buckets and sold to hungry oyster eaters,” she wrote. 

“The buckets are served with hush puppies and seafood sauce. All day long, people can be seen standing around wooden tables prying open oysters – or standing in line for another bucket,” Seldon said.