K&B Seafood and Blue Island Oyster Company Co-Sponsor the 13th Annual "Grand Central Oyster Frenzy"

East Northport-based K&B Seafood and the Blue Island Oyster Company of West Sayville bring Long Island to the forefront as co-sponsors of the 13th Annual “Grand Central Oyster Frenzy” on Saturday, September 26th at the Grand Central Oyster Bar (lower level, Grand Central Terminal) in New York City from 12:00 noon to 4:00 pm.

The Long Island companies join the Oyster Bar’s executive chef Sandy Ingber of Plainview, Long Island, for the day-long festivities.

Tom Kehoe is president of K&B, and Chris Quartuccio is the C.E.O. of Blue Island.

The Professional Oyster Shucking Championships are co-sponsored by Blue Island Oyster Company, K & B Seafood, and the Grand Central Oyster Bar: In the 1st Round – Saddle Rock Oysters will be provided by K&B Seafood; and in the 3rd and Final Round, Naked Cowboy Oysters provided by Blue Island Oyster Company.

Defending champion Jose Valdez will try again to fend off the challenge of eight-time champion Luis “The Menace” Iglesius, who is on his home turf at the Oyster Bar, in the Oyster Frenzy’s Professional Shucking Championships. Top competitors will vie for a grand prize of $3,000, and total purse of $3,750.

New York City’s ever-popular Naked Cowboy will once again make an appearance, sponsored by Blue Island.

Oyster Restoration and Education will be presented by Peter Malinowski, Director, The Billion Oyster Project, joined by K&B’s Kehoe.

It will be an all-day Frenzy; a bivalve bonanza at the historic restaurant “below sea level” in Grand Central Station. Chef demonstrations by a trio of talented chefs, competition open to the public, sixteen varieties of oysters – eight each from the East and West coasts – and six championship wines – including the “Grand Champion” to be selected by a blue ribbon panel of judges— and the top professional oyster shuckers on the planet will highlight the event.

Q104.3 FM Radio personality Shelli Sonstein, oyster aficionado and co-host of “The Jim Kerr Rock and Roll Morning Show,” will serve as MC.

Top area chefs will showcase their culinary wizardry in four demonstrations with public tastings. Here’s the expected line-up: a duo making “return engagements” by popular demand – the Oyster Bar‘s pastry chef Januz Noka, who will concoct Strawberries Romanoff, and Maloney & Porcelli executive chef ‎Aaron Bashy, who will feature Fried Wild Blue Island Oysters with Kohlrabi Slaw. Renowned food journalist, television host and cookbook author, David Rosengarten, publisher of the Rosengarten Report and food blogger for Huffington Post and Forbes.com, will add to the culinary wizardry with his version of the classic Oysters Bienville.

Russian Standard Vodka will sponsor Oyster Shooter samplings throughout the day featuring GCOB oysters provided by Norm Bloom & Son.

The public will compete in the SLURP OFF COMPETITIVE EATING COMPETITION (whoever slurps 10 oysters in the fastest time); and the BEER SHUCKING CHAMPIONSHIPS sponsored by Bluepoint Brewery. (The fastest to open all bottles of a case of beer is declared winner).