Oyster Roast The Ford Plantation celebrates Homecoming Weekend - Featured Inside
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M AY / J U N E 2 0 0 6
VOL. 17 NO. 4
Featured Inside:
The Ford Plantation
celebrates Homecoming Weekend
with a Traditional
Oyster
Roast
“ Why, then the world's mine oyster,
Which I with sword will open.
”
From “The Merry Wives of Windsor” by William Shakespeare
2 S AVA N N A H M A G A Z I N E
The World
is an Oyster (Roast)
BY MELISSA SCHNEIDER
PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN MORTON
O n a velvety, late October evening, the sun began to set across
the looping, marsh-edged Great Ogeechee River.
On this night, the last bold shards of sunlight glinted through the branches of
the same live oak trees that stood when this land belonged to three old plantations. Cherry
Hill, Silk Hope and Richmond plantations grew rice, thrived, suffered the Civil War and
disappeared.
The land was bought and sold and bought again until finally, in the 1920s and 1930s,
Henry Ford purchased thousands of acres of coastal Georgia land in what is now
Richmond Hill.
For a few moments on this autumn evening the glowing dusk illuminated the porch
and lawn of the 1930s-era estate house, also named Richmond, which Henry and Clara
Ford planned and built together. This was their winter retreat until Henry’s death in 1947.
M AY / J U N E 2 0 0 6 3
HOMECOMING: Each fall residents
of the Ford Plantation community
gather for an oyster roast on the
grounds of The Main House.
This night a few people strolled up
the steps of the Fords’ former home,
which is now called The Main House.
They walked through the long center
hallway, lingered with friends in the
spacious first-floor rooms, only to be
drawn out the back door by the wide,
radiant river view. A large white tent
stood off to the side. Underneath, the
staff busily made ready for a buffet
dinner that would be served later in the
evening. But for now, most of the
activity stirred on the front lawn.
The Ford Plantation, as it is now
called, is still very much a retreat. This
1,800-acre private community that
opened in 1998 is part of the Richmond
Hill land that Henry Ford owned. For a
majority of the residents, their Ford
Plantation home is a second or third
home; for some it is their year-round
home.
On this evening, about 150 residents
slowly gathered to enjoy one of the
events of homecoming week, a time
when members typically are “in resi-
dence” to enjoy the high season activi-
ties of Ford Plantation. They greeted
one another warmly, caught up on fam-
ily news, travels and golf scores, and
sipped refreshments as their appetites
and anticipation grew.
In preparation for the evening, two
rows of tall, rough-hewn tables stood on
the front lawn. Each was simply
adorned with a folded white towel and
blunt-end knife at each place setting;
baskets of saltine crackers, bowls of
4 S AVA N N A H M A G A Z I N E
sliced lemon and bottles of cocktail
sauce and hot sauce completed the sta-
ples. One by one, tiki torches and
lanterns were lighted and began to
glow. Galvanized steel buckets were
filled with ice, and bottles of red and
white wine stood ready.
Across a row of hedges, a closely
tended fire was stoked as it built toward
the perfect temperature. As if on cue, a
pickup truck, piled with large net bags
of fresh raw oysters, pulled up close to
the fire. It was time to begin.
The oysters were placed on a sheet
of heavy metal and lowered over the
fire, supported by concrete blocks on
each side. A large and thoroughly wet
burlap cloth was placed over the oysters
to create a cloud of steam. As soon as
the oysters began to open, the cooks
scooped them off the fire, shoveling
them into wheelbarrows. They were
dispersed by the shovel-full onto the
center of each table and quickly retrieved
by the patient but hungry diners. This
process continued until 13 large bags of
oysters were joyfully consumed.
It is possible that families who lived
on the area plantations enjoyed oyster
roasts. Certainly antebellum cookbooks LUCKY SHUCK: Homeowners enjoyed steamed oysters before adjourning to
and diaries suggest that these feasts took a buffet of traditional Southern fare.
Oyster
(Roasting)Tips
For a large oyster roast, build a wood fire using hickory or
oak. Stack concrete blocks on either side of the fire to prop up
the cooking surface. Place raw, clean oysters on a sheet of
heavy metal and cover them with very wet burlap. When the
oysters start to open, remove them from the fire immediately
and serve.
At the Ford Plantation, large amounts of roasted oysters are
removed from the fire with a shovel, placed into a wheelbarrow,
carted to tables and then shoveled on top of tables.
— from Executive Chef Brian Palifsky
M AY / J U N E 2 0 0 6 5
SETTING SUN: As darkness set in, party-
goers ate by the light of multiple lanterns.
asked the superintendent, Mr. Gregory,
to build the oyster house for guests he
planned to entertain on the weekend.
The workers began on Tuesday, and on
Saturday, Mr. Ford and his guests roasted
oysters.
The old oyster house still stands on a
picturesque, wooded section of property.
It is still very much in use; in fact, it is
where most of the smaller, more intimate
Ford Plantation oyster roasts are held.
With its simple, clapboard walls, shut-
tered windows, brick chimney and fire-
place, it is a charming, rustic setting,
especially when set aglow by dozens of
place. But there is no doubt that the tra-
lanterns hanging from the trees.
dition of oyster roasts at the Ford home
Over the doorway hangs a sign that
existed when Henry and Clara Ford lived
reads: “AIGROEG,” which is very puz-
on the property. In the 1930s, Mr. Ford
zling until you realize it is Georgia
commissioned the construction of a
spelled backward. It is believed that
small, almost primitive, oyster house,
Mr. Ford had the sign made as a conver-
adjacent to his home. The story goes
sation piece. And it does still spark
that on a Monday morning Mr. Ford
conversation.
But this evening, Mr. Ford’s oyster
house is dark. This larger, yet still casual
function, is taking place on the front and
back lawns of The Main House.
Executive chef Brian Palifsky, food and
Tips for the Best beverage director James Scott and chef
Fredo created a tasty yet simple meal
Macaroni & Cheese that is served comfortably and without
pretense. A buffet dinner of pulled
• Use cooked penne pasta.
pork, butter beans, macaroni and
• Substitute heavy cream for milk.
• Use a blend of goat cheese, white American cheese, and okra and tomatoes, topped
and aged cheddar cheese. off with pecan pie, will follow the roasted
• Top with buttered breadcrumbs mixed with oysters.
grated Parmesan cheese. As the sky grows dark and the last bites
• Bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. of the delicious buffet are consumed,
— from Chef Fredo music begins underneath the warm tent.
Conversation, laughter and the soft
strum of guitars fill the October night on
the banks of the Great Ogeechee River,
underneath the giant oaks.
6 S AVA N N A H M A G A Z I N E
M AY / J U N E 2 0 0 6 7
For more information on property ownership, please contact: The Ford Plantation 12511 Ford Avenue Richmond Hill, GA 31324 912-756-5666 www.fordplantation.com
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