Three Little Spats Seeks to Expand Oyster Footprint

Three Little Spats Oyster Co. recently brought on Chef Jessica Cabo to head up their sales program, signaling the oyster farm’s ongoing eye for growth in the area.

Cabo, who has worked at a handful of local restaurants, originally connected with the team at Three Little Spats to source oysters as a chef. Before entering the restaurant industry, she had a successful career in sales and marketing.

“We were looking for someone that could cover some sales and do events,” said Ryan Gadow, founder of Three Little Spats. “She’s got the personality and skills to cover both of those bases. We hit it off, and it seemed like a great fit for the company and her.”

“I was looking for my next step in my life and career, and it was kismet how we got together,” Cabo said. “I feel kinda geeked out because I’ve been a huge oyster lover since I was really young.”

Founded in 2017 by Ryan Gadow and his son, Evan Gadow, Three Little Spats started out as a small farm operating out of Stump Sound. In 2019, Steve Anderman joined Ryan Gadow as a business partner, and the team started the push for growth.

“We now have our South farm in Stump Sounds that grows our Permuda Island Selects and have expanded to have a North farm operating in the Bay River off the Pamlico Sound growing our Carolina Sweets and White Cap brand of oysters,” Ryan Gadow said.

Need an explainer on those oyster types? Cabo happens to be excellent at describing exactly that.

“The three oysters that we have are all very different,” she said. “The Carolina Sweet we have is really meaty. It’s got a mouth feel that you have to chew through, which I love. And the Permuda that we have is our saltiest oyster. I could throw those back all day; give me a shucking knife and something to drink, and I’d be a happy person. And then we’ve got these White Caps that are kind of a cross between them. It’s just a really well-balanced oyster with some nice salinity, and it just eats really well. It’s my favorite right now.”

Because oysters from Three Little Spats come from two distinct areas, the taste of the oysters are different from one another. The team also takes the safe handling and transportation of the product very seriously. “Freshness speaks for itself,” Ryan Gadow said. “Our oysters hit the table at local restaurants within 48 hours of coming out of the water.”

Popular Wilmington restaurants like Covey, Rx Chicken and Oysters, Dram Yard, Perla Raw Bar and Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar already work with Three Little Spats, with plenty more on the team’s radar for future partnership. “Right now, we are focusing on opening up new areas so we can expand distribution,” Ryan Gadow said.

Cabo said the team envisions future private shucking events, like weddings, barbecues and even garden parties during the Azalea Festival. “We want to be out in the community doing events,” she said.

Ryan Gadow adds another future vision – tasting rooms. “Down the road, I can see us having tasting rooms at both of our farms,” he said. “We would love to do pairing events that include wine and beer.”

For Cabo — with her combined sales and events experience, love of oysters and connections throughout the community — the gig at Three Little Spats is a “dream come true.”

“Every day is a great day when you’re rolling around town talking about oysters,” she said.

Three Little Spats Oyster Co. will be serving up raw oysters with all the fixin’s at Feast’s Brunch Elevated event on March 30