Thomas Downing was a The Black Oyster king of New York. He ran successful restaurants serving the finest Oysters available with the greatest care of his time. He excelled with the extraordinary obstacles of racism. Several books about oysters fail to credit his mastery of his craft. I think a permanent way to remind the industry of Thomas Downing’s contributions is past due.

I propose that the restaurant in the United States with the finest oyster program of the year get an award named after Thomas Downing. I personally believe that the James Beard foundation is perhaps the best organization to do so. Please sign if you agree that the James Beard Foundation should have an award for the years best oyster program, named after Thomas Downing.