Grown as a labor of love by four gentlemen in the town of Orient, New York (formerly known as Oysterponds). On the far tip of Long Island’s North Fork, these oysters are grown rack-and-bag style in a little elbow of tidal creek that bends off the main bay. The tidal flow through the creek is extraordinary, and it shows in the health and growth of the oysters. Small production: About 100,000 per year.