How a grandfather inspires a New Orleans oyster shucker to go for a million

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — It’s National Oyster Day.

But that’s every day for Marquis Riley.

You’ll find Riley behind the oyster bar at Seaworthy, the restaurant in the Barnett hotel.

That’s where you’ll also find WGNO Good Morning New Orleans features reporter Bill Wood.

And that’s where you’ll find Riley with his chalkboard of an odometer behind the bar.

He’s keeping count of his shucking.

“A lot of people always asked me ‘How many do I shuck a day?’ So, I just try to put a number to it now and see what’s going on,” said Riley.

Riley is on a mission to shuck 100,000 in less than two years.

Then he hopes to hit half a million.

Then a million.

Riley is making his mark.

“My grandfather, he instilled it in me. He told me that you just got to take everything one day at a time, and being as I’m shucking oysters, I just took that and said I’ll do it one shuck at a time,” said Riley.

One oyster at a time, on National Oyster Day and every day of the year.

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