Spirited Virginia Q2 2020 - 64

BEHIND THE BAR

Erika Schadt, The Oyster Farm Seafood Eatery at Kings Creek, Cape Charles

B

artender Erika Schadt isn't from the
Eastern Shore, but she's at home near
the water. She was born in Emerald Isle,
North Carolina, and she and her husband,
Chris, who's in the Coast Guard, moved to
Cape Charles in 2011.
"We've been here ever since," Schadt says.
"I love the Shore, I love the Bay. I love the
people here. I love how quiet and laid back
it is. I've made such good friends here."
Schadt began working at The Oyster Farm
Seafood Eatery at Kings Creek soon after
arriving in the area. She and Chris now
have two sons, and in 2017, she received
her license in real estate, so she's working
as bartender, Realtor, mom and wife.
How did you get involved with bartending?
I grew up in the restaurant business. I started
bartending at my dad's restaurant. My best
friend's dad owned a bar, so after I'd get off
at my dad's restaurant, I would go over there.
What do you enjoy about working a bar?
I enjoy the people, just being around adults,
because I'm around my children all the time-
just getting to know new people. One of my
favorite things is the regulars that come
in-you build a relationship with them, and
you really get to know them and their family.

64 VIRGINIA ABC | ABC.VIRGINIA.GOV

Describe the bar program at The Oyster
Farm.
We carry our local Cape Charles Distillery,
their whole line of liquors, so we like to
support local. We carry Chatham Vineyards
on Church Creek wines as well. We do a lot
of martinis-people love them. Otherwise, it
depends on the day and the season. In the
summer, vodka and rum and white wine are
flying off the shelves; in the wintertime-in
football season-it's beer and bourbon.
Have you created cocktails that include
Cape Charles spirits?
We do the ESVA martini, which is the Woo
Woo Vodka with an oyster in it. We also have
a Moscow Mule with Woo Woo Vodka, and
we do Manhattans with Cape Charles Rye
Whiskey or their Straight Bourbon.
What is a customer favorite spirit or
cocktail at the bar?
One that I personally make is a Lemon Drop
Martini. I had a customer a couple of weeks
ago tell me that I should trademark it; she
says it's the best she's ever had. For the bar
in general, especially in summertime, a lot
of people order the ESVA martini, since it
has an oyster in it. Another we do is the
Pearl Martini. It's Absolut Citron, Hpnotiq

and white cranberry juice. People really like
it. It's a good cocktail and a pretty aquablue color.
What are your favorites?
Personally, I love the Lemon Drop Martini,
and that's probably why I make it so specific,
because it's one of my favorites and it's got
to be done right. I normally drink red wine
or vodka sodas. I mix it up though.
What's the cuisine at The Oyster Farm?
We focus on seafood, local seafood-oysters
mainly-and we try to make cocktails or
drinks that will taste good with oysters and
pair well. But we have a mixture of things.
What's it like to be a Realtor and a local
bartender?
It's great. That's the nice thing about living
in such a small town-people know you so
well, and they refer you to other people. So
a lot of my business has come from friends
and referrals from people that I've met in
the town from working there. I've worked
there for so long, people know me as the
bartender from The Oyster Farm.

-Annie Tobey
http://ABC.VIRGINIA.GOV
Spirited Virginia Q2 2020

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