beachlife magazine was lucky enough to sit down this year with hurricane oyster bar & grill , s owner , david biegler , for a behind the scenes look at how he got started , what it takes to run a successful restaurant on 30a and , of course , what he thinks is the best way to prepare and eat oysters .
are you a local ? how did you get to the 30a area ?
I moved to the 30A area in May 1993 . After college I was looking for a beach town to call home and it so happened my girlfriend ( who ultimately became my wife ) was from the area .
what was your background prior to hurricane oyster bar ? did you have any prior restaurant or culinary experience ?
I started working at a restaurant when I was 16 in San Antonio , TX . I worked all front house positions , which enabled me to truly see how the operation worked and the importance of customer service . Then following a stint in Colorado , I moved to 30A and worked at Bud & Alley ’ s as General Manager before leaving to open Vintij Wine Bistro in Sandestin with my partners . It was then in 2003 , that I bought Café Spiazzia and Hurricane Oyster Bar when they were still located in Seaside . We moved Hurricane Oyster Bar to its current location in Grayton Beach in 2007 .
what is the inspiration for the food at hurricane oyster bar & grill ?
Our food at Hurricane Oyster Bar is inspired from anywhere that can be hit by an Atlantic Hurricane . This ranges from the Caribbean Islands to Mexico , New Orleans , the low lands of North Carolina and , of course , Florida .
where does hurricane oyster bar get their oysters from ?
We prefer to get our oysters from the Gulf region of Florida including Apalachicola , Cedar Key , West Bay , and East Bay and then when oysters from those regions aren ’ t available , we get them from a selection of Texas Bays that were seeded by Apalachicola stock .
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