In the Kitchen: A Conversation with Perry Raso

The first fear that coursed through Perry Raso’s mind at 4am on May 20 as he witnessed his Wakefield restaurant Matunuck Oyster Bar burn to the ground, wasn’t about the enormous financial loss he was about to incur, just days away from an always-engrossing summer season. It wasn’t about his recent renovations to the 16 year-old building and how he’d finally gotten everything exactly how he wanted it. It wasn’t about the uncertainty he was about to face: the insurance, the rebuild, the oyster beds. It was about the firefighters.

“I was watching them climb around outside on the roof of the kitchen, trying to extinguish the flames,” Raso, whose grandfather was a firefighter for the FDNY, recalls. “If anything happened to them when they’re trying to save my business, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.” It was the moment Raso knew he had a disaster on his hands. “I always worried about what would destroy my business, and I always thought it would be a flood,” he says, gesturing towards Potter Pond, feet off the patio of the old restaurant. “Never fire.”

Fast-forward to a late-summer Wednesday: the lot where the restaurant stood is completely cleared, save for the metal frame of the outside bar, and is ready for the rebuilding process. Across the street, Matunuck Oyster Bar bustles inside an expansive Sperry tent in an ancillary parking lot. The skies are overcast and there’s a tiny chill to the air, which is heavy with the clean, fresh smell of salty ocean water, reminiscent of the taste of Raso’s oysters. It’s a little before the 11am opening and the staff, most of whom look college-age, swarm the bars and the many tables, stacking menus, setting out vases of fresh wildflowers, placing just-shucked oysters atop beds of crushed ice, slicing dozens of fresh lemons and limes for drinks. Five minutes after opening, the tables are half full.

This temporary location was made possible by an outpouring of support from the community after the fire. In June, Governor Dan McKee signed into law the “Take it Outside” bill, allowing restaurants like Raso’s and Finn’s Harborside in East Greenwich to set up temporary outdoor locations while they rebuild. The bill was just one example of local support that poured in after the fire – a GoFundMe started by friends on the morning of the fire has raised over $260,000 for employee assistance, and the donations continue to come in. Raso is beyond grateful. “I lost my life’s work in this fire, but it really drives home the importance of community,” he says, pausing with emotion.

“I spent some time in denial about what happened,” he says. Raso was hesitant to open the tented pop-up, but he says it’s going better than expected. Except for the plastic tent sides, you wouldn’t know you weren’t in the original space. One of the bartenders, a URI student who has worked here for six years, says it came together fast. “There are a few rough edges,” he says. “But I’m just happy to have my job back.” One of the most important benefits to the tent, Raso says, is that any one of the hundreds of original employees who wanted could come back to work. “Some found other jobs, but half came back. That was important to me.”

When the original oyster bar was destroyed in the fire last May, it was one of the most profitable, popular, and praised restaurants around. Raso operated fun and educational tours of the oyster farm. Dining reservations were painfully hard to come by, especially in the summer months. National and local publications, too numerous to list, consistently applauded Raso. “It’s because he’s got it down to a science, a formula,” says Peter Lovegreen, a Warwick resident with 45 years of experience operating and working at high-end, waterside restaurants in Rhode Island. Lovegreen says he and his wife, Joanne, have eaten there at least a hundred times over the years. “And you always know exactly what you’re going to get,” he says. “Exceptional service, the best quality food, happy employees, and high standards.”

The funny thing is, Raso never intended to open a restaurant. He just wanted to grow oysters. He practically grew up in these waters, digging for clams, trapping eels, diving for littlenecks. He studied aquaculture and fisheries technology at the University of Rhode Island and founded Matunuck Oyster Farm in 2002 on Succotash Road. In a few years, he was selling oysters across the country. A dilapidated clam shack with a dock stood yards away, and to ensure the Potter Pond farm would continue to thrive, he purchased it and opened Matunuck Oyster Bar in 2009. “Hey, it was a way to sell fresh oysters,” he says with a smile and a shrug.

If Raso has his way, the Lovegreens will be able to return to a new Matunuck Oyster Bar in May 2026. “I’d like it to open on May 20, the one-year anniversary of the fire,” Raso says. The new building will be on the same footprint as the old, with some updates, including better views (the result of having to build on slightly higher ground) and taller ceilings. In the meantime, Raso hopes to open a new concept in Wakefield later this year, in the space that used to house the Feet First shoe store on Old Tower Hill Road. While it doesn’t have a name yet, he describes it as a seafood-heavy version of the popular Italian market Eataly. Raso and his team will be hand-making things like seafood-stuffed ravioli, a concept fueled by a trip to
Thailand, where he was inspired by dumplings filled with an infinite variety of foods.

If his past success is any indication, his new venture will be wildly successful, and Raso will undoubtedly continue to feel as much love and support from the community as he gives back to it. Dale Venturini, the recently retired president and CEO of the Rhode Island Hospitality Association, sums it up this way: “Perry is a shining example of how business excellence and community leadership go hand in hand. Through vision, hard work, and humility, Perry has built an iconic restaurant that not only sets the standard for hospitality, but also drives economic vitality, creates jobs, and inspires others in the industry. His leadership isn’t about accolades – it’s about creating opportunity, giving back, and leading with his heart.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: At press time the continuation of the tented restaurant is weather-dependent. Please check RhodyOysters.com for updates.