Under the bright backdrop of Five Points, dozens of oysters were shucked open and just as many stories exchanged at local shop Blossom Plant and Produce’s first annual Winter Oyster Roast on the evening of Jan. 18.
The event, which offered oysters, chili and a bar along with live entertainment from local musician Jon Rooks, was primarily organized by Blossom Plant and Produce owner, Johnathan Vang.
Vang's longtime friend Jeff Keeny, who volunteered at the event, said Vang had revitalized the street corner and turned a space that previously felt dead into a bustling spot.
Vang said the space surrounding his store, which had already hosted several events such as bluegrass nights and Christmas parties, was a perfect venue for the roast because it had the potential to bring in a wide variety of guests.
“You get people from all walks of life,” Vang said. “Especially on the day of, you’ll just hear some people from the neighborhood, or they’ll get a last-minute word, or somebody’ll have an extra ticket.”
Oyster Roast attendees order drinks from a bar set up outside of Blossom Plant and Produce on Jan. 18, 2025. The Winter Oyster Roast had an additional feature of live music for the attendees to enjoy.
Vang’s hopes came true as a large crowd filled out the lot. Ranging from Columbia natives and California locals to Chinese doctoral students, all kinds of attendees saw the oyster roast as an opportunity to get an authentic taste of South Carolinian culture in a vibrant and social environment.
Among those to gather around the oyster covered tables was USC alumnus Lucien Bruno who graduated in 1975. He heard about the event by chance as he stopped to get a drink at the adjacent Hendrix The Bus Coffee Shop.
“I walked in there and it was up inside, local signage,” Bruno said. “He had a sign that said Oyster Roast Jan. 18.”
Bruno’s friend and self-described “oyster junkie” Dr. Steve Masone said he considered oyster roasts a crucial cultural cornerstone of the state, albeit one that has become less common. Masone said he was very happy to see them making a comeback in the city after enjoying similar annual events in his community for many years.
Yuxin Jiang, who is a linguistics doctoral student at USC, saw an advertisement for the event on Instagram, and said he thought it was a great chance to explore Columbia in a new way and make connections.
“I’m actually very happy to get the flavor of the local culture,” Jiang said. “We had actually been looking for people to talk to, to get to know more about the local culture and to know more people here."
Dr. Bambi Gaddist, who graduated from USC in 1998, said the presence of families with children running around helped lend a strong sense of community to the proceedings and made things even more enjoyable.
“It’s intergenerational, there’s old, there’s young, there’s the children and that’s introducing them into supporting community,” Gaddist said. “So I think that’s a good opportunity to bring people together on a nice evening like tonight and celebrate just being alive.”
More information on Blossom Plant and Produce and its upcoming events can be found here, as well on its Facebook and Instagram pages.