An internship at an oyster farm taught me about sustainability

Name: Corgan Dehoog

Hometown: Boynton Beach, Florida

Degree/major: Bachelor’s in Hospitality and Tourism Management

Internship details: The “Coastal Bounty Scholarship Experience” imagined by The Grey restaurant in Savannah, Georgia, is a joint collaboration between the restaurant and partners E.L. McIntosh & Son in Townsend, Georgia, and Three Sisters Organic Farm in Bluffton, South Carolina.

What did this opportunity involve? The main objective was to learn about the history, farming, fishing, harvesting and preparation of the food bounty provided naturally by the coastal south and low country of South Carolina and Georgia.

In the most literal sense, I had a hand in every component of a “farm-to-table” concept. I helped oyster farmer Ernest McIntosh harvest fresh oysters and worked at a festival in Atlanta called Oyster South. I helped Buddy Coleman and his wife Priscilla, who are mushroom farmers at Slow Road Farms, prepare buckets of golden oyster mushrooms. After the farming was done, I worked the line at The Grey restuaurant, which has been named one of the 30 best restaurants in the world by Food & Wine and Travel + Leisure.

What was most-rewarding? Building connections with the people I worked with. Working with Ernest at the oyster farm and Mary at the organic farm, I felt like part of the family. The more I got to know their family, the more I became part of it. Even at The Grey, in the few days I was there, I was part of the team. The people you work with really make or break the job, and I’m so lucky to have worked with some amazing people during this internship.

How does your work connect back to what you learn in class? I've studied the concept of food circularity during my academic career [which accounts for the entire life cycle of food, including its societal and environmental costs, and supports alternative models for waste prevention and upcycling], so it was super interesting to see it at play in a massive, luxury restaurant and small, local farms. I learned a lot about how important oysters are to the health of the oceans and marshes. I know a lot more about what being a certified organic farmer means and how that affects crops.

Also, with the recent hurricanes, I’ve thought a lot more about how the climate is impacting local farmers and how amplified “unnatural” disasters are making it even harder for them to survive and make a profit. It’s so important to offer relief and support on the ground level, especially in areas that lack the infrastructure for these types of disasters.

What does a day in this internship look like? Every day was different, but it was always exciting. Some days I was working the line, plating dishes that I knew guests had paid a lot of money for. Other days, I was building oyster cages with a staple gun. Or maybe I would spend the day weeding rows of kale. Each day was a totally different experience, and it was amazing.

What was the coolest thing about your internship? The circularity of it all. Starting at The Grey, then going to the farms and experiencing what that entails, and then returning back to The Grey really opened my eyes to what actually goes into making food. Multiple days of work go into one bag of oysters or one bushel of bok choy. When I came back to The Grey, looked at the oyster bin, it was so surreal. I had bagged and tagged the oysters at the farm, and now here they were being shucked and sold at The Grey.

How can you tell a good oyster from a bad oyster? When collecting wild oysters in Georgia, they have to be at least two inches in length to be collected. If you’re just eating them yourself, then that’s really your only criterion. When selling to restaurants, you want ones that look good - no barnacles, no large clusters, not too much algae. Next, you have to eliminate hollow oysters by searching for any cracks or holes and testing the sound. Finally, after you shuck them, you want an oyster that has a good amount of water in it because that’s where most of the flavor lies.

What advice do you have for those looking for scholarships or internships? Internships are about experiences, not just resume-boosting. Find opportunities that align with what you like or want to do. Don’t just pick them because you think they’ll look good to employers or will help you get somewhere else faster. And even if you don’t enjoy the job you’re doing, figuring out what you don’t like is still an important part of your career journey. 

Do you have a mentor who has impacted your life? I have a lot of those. I’m lucky enough to have met some great professors and professionals throughout my career at the Chaplin School. That being said, it wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t shout out Dr. John Buschman, who teaches corporate social responsibility and is a leader in food rescue. He’s offered me so many opportunities and has helped me grow so much on my path of sustainability and food circularity. He is someone I want to thank.

What now? I feel so dramatic saying this, but this internship changed my life. My perspective on my career and future shifted in the best way possible. From this experience, I’ve learned the importance of living life daily in a way that makes me happy, rather than just driving forward to a particular goal without thought for what it takes to get there. What I experienced in the cycle of getting food from its source and seeing it properly prepared and shared in a way that celebrates the people and place from which it came allowed me a new appreciation. I will take that with me as I am about to begin my master’s degree in hospitality [as part of the Chaplin School’s 4+1 program] and, eventually, take a management position in the restaurant industry with a purveyor that supports the farm-to-table movement and all the benefits it affords farmers and customers.