The beloved kingpin of the Underground Lobster Pound, Ben Sargent aka Dr. Claw, has been placed on the Department of Health's most wanted list.
For months an interstate lobster smuggling and street corner hustling operation has been taking place on the nefarious streets of Greenpoint. Taking a page out of the Ten Crack Commandments from the late Notorious BIG, Dr. Claw has been supplying the streets with highly addictive product, ducking the fuzz, and taking no shorts.
The process of acquiring one of these sandwiches requires a background check via Facebook and a coordinated delivery or pickup by text message. But far from a recluse, Claw has been featured in a lengthy interview via Food Curated, a profile on Ozersky.TV , and even crashed a lobster roll contest hosted by Tasting Table. But now, it appears these antics have allowed the heat to catch up with the rebellious crustacean chef.
The Brooklyn Paper reports he's been under surveillance, wiretapped, setup, snitched upon and if they can get their hands on him he will possibly holed up in a six by six on Riker's with Lil Wayne. Where surely, the fine young chef will hit a downward spiral from small time hustler to certified OG.
This comes on the heels of the Greenpoint Food Market being shut down by these overzealous Department of Health officials. The feeling amongst boot strapping food startups? The DOH is stifling innovation and entrepreneurship by placing overly stringent requirements on small time operators. The home-chef set is just trying to come up like the numerous vendors that have gone pro from the Brooklyn Flea. This is made nearly impossible by requiring everyone to use certified kitchens, which on the low side can run $400 a day.
In Dr. Claw's case... He can't freeze lobster rolls, there's no preparation that can be done beforehand in a batch operation at a certified kitchen, it's a very real-time process. The lobsters are pulled out of a trap in Maine, put in cold water and placed in the back of a little red truck, then driven down I-95 to Brooklyn, tossed in a pot of boiling water, placed on a buttery hot dog bun, and delivered steaming hot to the anxious customer. There's no room for red tape and certified kitchens 45 minutes away.
This is a highlight of an outdated process which requires a change. There needs to be a way for productive members of society to start small businesses in this time of economic woe without fear of the government shutting down the American spirit with the threat of fines and imprisonment.
With that said... Free Doctor Claw.
