Houston's latest culinary drama is sizzling louder than a charcoal grill at high noon. Royal Bellock, the New Orleans chef better known as "Tiger" of Tiger2Dozen, alleges that Lyndell “Lynn” Price, co-founder of the popular Turkey Leg Hut restaurant, has pulled the rug out from under him in a joint oyster pop-up venture gone sour. The Houston Chronicle reports that Bellock and his fiancée Jackquel Johnson are accusing Price of copying their menu and recipes, in addition to failing to pay them nearly $3,000.
According to Johnson's side of the story, Price invited them to bring their Tiger2Dozen to Houston last month, leading to the launch of an opposing pop-up named the Oyster Hut, where chunks of Gulf coast oysters have been relished by food enthusiasts. Their original success was palpable; lines of customers willing to wait for hours to get a taste of the Tiger Special—a blend of crab meat, crawfish tails, and "Tiger’s Special Sauce". Yet beneath these chargrilled offerings, a bitter taste of alleged betrayal was brewing.
The Oyster Hut experience, initially unnamed and casual, soon took on a different shape when Price decided to go solo, as reported by Chron.com. Despite an unspoken agreement to share the venture 50-50, Price's involvement began to wane, with social media posts no longer featuring Bellock's brand and Tiger2Dozen feeling the strain of an unclear future. A 90-day residency was announced for The Oyster Hut, and plans for a permanent location remain as unclear as the waters after a storm.
Fans of the New Orleans-styled chargrilled oysters remain largely unaware of the backstage fallout. Darius Miller, who followed Price’s account, mused, “I just know there’s a line for oysters and it’s all over the place. I wanted to try it for myself.” Meanwhile, Andrea Hughes, another customer, questioned whether the culinary hype justified the long wait. Despite the lure of the Oyster Hut's offerings, from the succulent shells to their secret Tiger sauce, the future of this coastal culinary co-op now seems as shaky as a poorly set table.
What's evident is that Johnson isn't about to let Price have the last word—or the last oyster. "I’ll continue to support and push Tiger because I know his oysters are great," she told the Houston Chronicle. "He has perfected cooking those oysters in such a way that Lynn would never understand. Only thing I appreciate Lynn for at this moment is giving me the game. Now it’s go time, may the best oyster cooker win." With the shucking gloves thrown, this seafood saga is sure to continue simmering behind the grill lights of Houston's energized food scene.
