Local Chef Lauches Kickstarter Campaign For Peconic Escargot

Who needs France when you've got the North Fork?

That might be the mantra of chef Taylor Knapp, who has launched Peconic Escargot, a "spanking new farm and start-up company" in Cutchogue.

Sick of escargot frozen or in a can from France, Knapp set out to become a snail farmer and produce his own.

"Our end goal is to provide the country with the freshest tastiest escargot available," Knapp said.

To that end, Knapp, the chef at First and South in Greenport, teamed up with North Fork real estate guru and entrepreneur Sean Nethercott and launched a Kickstarter site to help them realize their dream. 

Their vision? "A locally focused, community driven project that could change the way the world eats and experiences escargot," the site explains.

While most snail farms are sited in France, Italy and Asia, according to the Kickstarter site, they have one thing in common: "They rely on a centuries' old technique of raising the snails in outdoor, open air pens. This approach is outdated, unrealistic, and potentially dangerous," the site explains.

"Being out in the open, the snails are subject to parasites and fungi that can attack and spread rapidly in a crowded pen. The same snails that are raised for food are agricultural pests that can cause considerable crop damage. In addition, the open pens allow for possible predators including mice, birds, and even other insects. Not to mention the potential for Mother Nature to wreak havoc on a completely exposed snail population."

As an alternative, Knapp said the goal is to raise the snails indoors to provide a more safe and consistent environment, in a greenhouse.

Plans, Knapp said, are for a completely enclosed 18 X 36 foot greenhouse with fans for fresh air, humidifiers, heaters, and air conditioners — with lots of sunlight.

The snails, he said, won't be able to interfere with nearby farmland and will also be protected.

The snails, Knapp said, will be fed a healthy diet of locally foraged greens and herbs, all organic.

Next, the snails will be packaged in vacuum-sealed bags to preserve flavor and texture, allowing them to be shipped worldwide, overnight — or hand-delivered to local residents.

"Our escargot will never be canned or frozen. Ever," Knapp said.

Funds will be raised for 1000 snails to begin breeding, a greenhouse and supplies, soil, instruments to measure the greenhouse environment, shelving, work tables, the cost of leveling and concrete, a machine to vacuum seal the escargot, and a land lease.

For more information on the Kickstarter campaign, click here.