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Anton and Sheryl Schermer were enjoying an oyster sample at Stern & Bow on Schraalenburgh Road when he “bit down, wasn’t sure what it was and found a small pearl,” owner Russell Stern said.
Pearls are extremely rare -- nature’s lottery, you could say.
Oyster expert Kevin Joseph has shucked “thousands upon thousands upon thousands” of oysters and never found a pearl, Stern said.
It was even more surprising that the pea-sized gem came from a Taylor Kumamoto, a tiny but plump oyster from the Pacific Northwest.
“You hear of them discovered in warm water oysters, but not Kumamotos,” he said.
Lacking shellfish motives, the Schermers gave Stern the pearl, which he said will soon be on display in the 33-foot raw bar of his 155-seat restaurant.
A self-proclaimed food fanatic, Stern is recreating regional cuisine from some of his favorite travel destinations. Among those joining him is Joseph, the coo-founder of New York Oyster Week.
SEE: Get Dinner And The Show At Closter's New Stern And Bow
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