By Charley Falkenburg, Staff Writer
The competitors lined the table feverishly slurping the oysters as the audience cheered and clapped. Cheeks were red with cocktail sauce, chins dripped with oyster juice and spectators watched with a mixture of awe, amusement and slight disgust.
Hundreds of people crowded around the outside of the Blue Point Grill on Sunday to watch more than 100 contestants compete in the 13th annual Oyster Bowl.
Individual and corporate teams engaged in the ultimate slurp-off to benefit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Central and its South Jersey affiliate Komen for the Cure and their campaign to fight breast cancer.
In a two-minute time frame, contestants of all ages and sizes gobbled down as many oysters as possible in an effort to claim the oyster eating championship title.
Spectators cheered as their family members, friends and coworkers went to work on the 8,000 oysters that 20 workers started shucking four hours prior to the competition.
First Choice Bank branch manager John Stefan came out to give his team moral support for a third year.
When asked why he wasn’t in the competition, he said he would get sick.
”I like oysters but not that much,” he added with a laugh. “There’s no way I could do it.”Before competing in the second heat of the corporate division, Borden Perlman team member Jeremy Perlman shared his technique has developed during three years of competing.
”The trick is to put five or six oysters in all at once, while putting the shells in the bucket,” he said.
Mr. Perlman also advised to dump as much cocktail sauce and lemon juice on the oysters as possible to make them less “fishy” and easier to down.
His teammate Michael Moran added that the first 30 seconds of the competition is key.
After the last oyster was guzzled, the contestants some looking queasy and the crowd waited impatiently as the oyster champions were called.
In the women’s division, Lizzy McDaniel nabbed first place with 99 oysters ousting last year’s winner, Theza Friedman, who came in second with 80. Lucia Scotto with 72, Karen Cybulski with 71 and Barbara Devaney with 70 followed respectively.
The all-time reigning men’s division champion Bill Forrest worked his magic yet again keeping his title for the third year in a row with 94 oysters, seven more than last year.
His technique?
”First I have three of these,” he said, raising his beer bottle. Along with the bit of liquid help, he said he grabs two oysters and slurps them down while chucking the shells in the bucket.
Trevor Lamb wasn’t far behind Mr. Forrest with 92. Jeff Meszaros with 83, Dave Wittenberg with 82 and David Goldstein with 81 followed respectively.
Corporate team Mathematica Treatment won for the second year in a row with a total of 292 oysters, an additional 46 than last year. BMS 1 followed with 255 and First Choice Bank grabbed third place with 241.
But the Oyster Bowl didn’t end there. People lunched at the Blue Point Grill a rare treat since the restaurant is only open for dinner. The lunch proceeds went toward the bowl.
Those who were all oystered out were able to test out fresh crepes from Buttons Creperie, a restaurant aiming to open at the end of the month in Lawrenceville.
Scores of people participated in a raffle, children competed in an oyster cracker toss and die-hard New York Giants fans took advantage of the face painting table to prep for the game with red, white and blue faces.
Blue Point Grill owner Jack Morrison was pleased with the Oyster Bowl’s success and is hoping to raise $25,000 for Komen for the Cure. To date, the Oyster Bowl has raised more than $170,000 in the past 12 years.
Mr. Morrison said that when the restaurant opened in 1999, they wanted to start a benefit for something that identified the seafood-based grill making oysters a natural choice.
”It has a little edginess to it and as far as we know it’s the only oyster eating contest in New Jersey,” said Mr. Morrison. “The Oyster Bowl is a lot of fun and something different it’s a win-win for the community.”
The oysters might think differently.

