From left, shuckers Angel Guox and Edwin Capriel, owner/executive chef Tommy Tollett and chef Manuel Viveros.: Courtesy photos
I’ve found the hardest working men in Houston.

The four full-time oyster shuckers at
Tommy's Restaurant & Oyster Bar. During the week of Jan. 13-19, the men shucked 10,000 oysters for diners at the popular seafood restaurant.

And while that’s quite a feat, the restaurant’s owner Tommy Tollett also deserves a shout-out for his efforts to recycle all those oyster shells.
Tommy Tollett has been working on the shell recycling program for two years.
Two years ago, Tollett began working with the Galveston Bay Foundation to recycle oyster shellls.

Tollett’s team separates the shells from the rest of the restaurant’s waste. The shells are collected several times each week by staff from the Galveston Bay Foundation.

The empty shells are then dried in the sun for six months (or more) to kill bacteria and other organic matter. After the shells are “cured,” the shells are returned to the bay for a variety of projects, including to provide near-shore homes for oyster larvae, to provide habitat for other marine life and to enhance existing oyster reefs.

In the past two years, Tommy’s has contributed more than 80 tons of shells to the recycling program.

Love the bay? Stop by Tommy’s and have a dozen or so oysters. Currently, the restaurant is offering a dozen oysters on the half shell for $5 on Tuesdays and Fridays.