Shell It Out Hamptons Benefits East Hampton Shellfish Hatchery Saturday
The first annual Shell It Out Hamptons benefit in support of the East Hampton Shellfish Hatchery kicks off this Saturday, September 2 at the home of event co-chairs Jeff Ragovin and Kurt Giehl in the historic Springs section of East Hampton.
Having recently relocated full-time to the Hamptons, Ragovin and Giehl spend much of their time on local waters either fishing or searching for clams and oysters. Ragovin, founder of technology investment firm Ragovin Ventures, and Giehl, an abstract artist, quickly discovered the numerous environmental and economic benefits of a strong shellfish population. The Shell It Out Hamptons benefit is the result of this passion for shellfish and their desire to support a worthy local organization.
To that end, the East Hampton Shellfish Hatchery raises millions of seed shellfish annually—including hard clams, oysters, and bay scallops—for the purpose of restocking public shellfish beds in local waters. Programs like this help the shellfish population thrive and, as a result, keep area bays cleaner and the eco-system within them healthier. To do this, East Hampton Shellfish Hatchery produces large quantities of oyster (Crassostrea virginica), clam (Mercenaria mercenaria), and bay scallop (Argopecten irradians) seed to enhance valuable shellfish stocks.
The event will feature a cocktail reception with massive raw bar—featuring, of course, local oysters, clams, and other shellfish—as well as food and libations from City Row, Long Warf Supply Co., Nick & Toni’s, Bay Kitchen Bar, Almond, Babette’s, Stewart’s Seafood and Wainscott Wines & Liquor.
Giehl has curated a selection of fabulous bay and shellfish-themed works donated by fellow local artists for a silent auction at Shell It Out Hamptons. Artists include: Giehl, Janet Jennings, Chris Butler, Mary Laspia, Lindsay Morris and Laureen Vellante, as well as artists Richard Udice, Kirsten Benfield and Daniel Vernola who also sit on the event’s Host Committee.
All works from the silent auction are on view here.
Along with Ragovin, Giehl, and the artists—Benfield, Udice and Vernola—Shell It Out Hamptons’ host committee comprises founder and CEO of CITYROW Helaine Knapp; CITYROW Program Director Annie Mulgrew; CORE Broker Adrian Noriega; Josh and Jessica Rahn of Rahn Consulting; Long Warf Supply, Co. founder Michael Lamagna; Melissa Kasper Shapiro, Managing Partner Greener Pastures Capital; Wendy Herzberg, Vice President at Gallant Network; Senior Managing Director at Cushman & Wakefield Brock Emmetsberger; Harbor Marina Harbor Master Rick Drew.
Organizers say they expect a strong crowd on Saturday, including some celebrity guests. Tickets are $150 and 100% of the proceeds go toward supporting East Hampton Shellfish Hatchery and their important mission.
The inaugural Shell It Out Hamptons cocktail party is located at 132 Old Stone Highway in Springs, East Hampton, on Saturday September 2 from 5–7 p.m. Learn more at shellitouthamptons.com.