(Oceanaire Profile)

The Oceanaire is docked alongside the circle at Piedmont Town Center.  This 1930’s themed restaurant with the décor of an ocean liner/supper club specializes in ultra fresh seafood.  She has a menu that is printed daily, dictated by the catch that arrives each morning.  At the helm resides executive chef and operating partner Brad MacFiggen, whose flavorful offerings are influenced by a childhood abroad and our fresh, local ingredients.  The forty one year old and his daughter Lorelei, now nine years old, sailed into Charlotte two years ago with the opening of the Oceanaire.  Having been with this corporation for four years, but a chef for twenty four, Brad has catered to high ranking dignitaries, the leader of the free world and cooked alongside celebrity chefs during the “California tour” of his youth.  connectwithcharlotte is intrigued.  Do tell…

cwc:  Where are you from and how did you get here? 

Brad:  I’m from a small town in Southern Alabama, but my mom married a fighter pilot and we moved to Europe through my early years of schooling.  We lived in Germany and traveled to France and Italy.  I was exposed to other cultures of the world and some very inquisitive cuisine at a young age.  I was an only child so I got to go most everywhere my parents went, cultivating a strong interest in gourmet, or upper end food.  When I got back to the States I saw that there was not as much cuisine out there in a 20-30 mile span as there was in Europe.  I grew ancy for different tastes.  Fortunately, we lived in Florida at the time and I enjoyed the Cuban flavor, which influenced me.  Being an only child, I spent a lot of days in the kitchen with my mother.  I began to cook more at home and it turned into a passion.  I worked part-time in the restaurant industry in high school, and then took a chef job at a small place in Atlanta.  There I got a taste of what it would be like to be in the industry long term.  I graduated from the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont, choosing them for the low student teacher ratio and great instruction.  Their emphasis on hotel instruction as opposed to small restaurant appealed to me, as catering was one of my interests.   

cwc:  Go West, young man? 

Brad:  Yes, I went to California upon graduating because that’s where the celebrity chefs were.  I worked for several, ending up at the Four Seasons in Santa Barbara as a pantry chef, then in the catering department as sous chef.  I got a taste of everything that was happening on the West Coast, but returned East to Washington, DC, winding up as executive chef for a catering company from 1996-2001.  We were a small company that did high profile events, being an exclusive caterer for the State Department for events outside the White House.  We worked in venues such as museums, the Naval Conservatory and the Vice President’s home.  We served high ranking officials through two administrations; current and former Presidents and their families.  After that, I opened my own restaurant in Highlands, North Carolina, spending four years in that endeavor.  I joined the Oceanaire in the DC area, gaining the partnership here in Charlotte two years later.  It is a beautiful city and a great location.  As a single father, I felt that Charlotte would be a good place to raise my daughter.   

cwc:  Do you have any hobbies?  Do you have any time for hobbies?!    

Brad:  I love water skiing, snow skiing, mountain biking, outdoor activities.  I think that is what drew me to Highlands.  We lived in a tree house out in the middle of nowhere.  That’s my Southern Alabama roots…open air, outdoors, no television.  My passions though, are my work and my daughter.  

cwc:  Obviously, being at the Oceanaire, you focus on seafood.  But do you have a specialty or area of expertise close to your heart?   

Brad:  At Oceanaire, our specialty is to adapt to a new menu every day.  It takes a lot of creativity.  The amount of time we spend outsourcing our food is more than the time we spend creating a menu.  We look for items we can get the following day; things that can stay in house for 36 hours, but no more.  I love using fresh cuisines like Thai.  I love bringing home the “comfort” foods that people are not intimidated by.  Observing the trends in the restaurant industry such as the petite sizing down, the overuse of butter and masking sauces really turned me off after a few years in the business.  I’m into whatever the freshest ingredient is.  We base our concept on local cuisine, local fish and what the locals are looking for.  We dictate that by being able to change the menu every day.  Our specialty is looking for the best seafood of the season, pairing it with local ingredients and pulling that together every day. 

cwc:  Is there a region you go to for consistently good seafood?   

Brad:  The Alaskan fisheries and the crabbing industry up there, is one.  Our company had the fortune to partner with The Time Bandit from the Discovery Channel.  Four chefs went up to Dutch Harbor at the beginning of the crabbing season last October to be on the boats.  We made friends there and the show later called, relaying an offer from the captain of our boat to buy all 118,000 pounds of catch.  We used that as our seasonal crab.  The North Carolina coast is great also.  We are fortunate to be situated here in Charlotte, as things come in from the coast daily.  The Outer Banks, the great swordfish, grouper and softies that come through…we target mostly Alaska and our own coast.

cwc:  What is your favorite piece of fish?   

Brad:  Sable, a black cod from the Alaskan seas.  It’s a very large, white, flaky, delicate fish.  It is very easy to work with and holds up well to different seasonings.  This time of year I use miso glazes for some Asian influence.  In the spring season, I use broths.  Next to that, I enjoy the salmon season, which we’re in now.  The different salmons that come in are delicacies.  Each one has its own taste and texture. 

cwc:  What is your biggest accomplishment in this industry?   

Brad:  That would be the ability to socialize with the guests and bring the culinary talent to the front of house, all the way to the guests walking in the front door.  It was hard to be trapped in the kitchen early on.  I didn’t have a lot of exposure to what the guest was doing.  My career turned around when I was given the opportunity to be a chef that interacted on the floor, bringing down the wall between me and the guest.  Here we bring the personality of the kitchen right to the side of the table.  Making that guest connection is unbelievable for me.  It’s a reward.  You go through long hours.  You work all day prepping the food and working with the line cooks.  It would be hard to miss the last step; that final gratification…the customer’s enjoyment.  Their response.  What did they like about the dish, what didn’t they like?  Some days you need that encouragement.  We endeavor to make that connection for the line cooks, as well.  I try to bring all communication back to them. 

cwc:  What is the biggest challenge in your career?   

Brad:  My biggest challenge is finding balance; trying to find time for family and for myself.  That is probably the biggest hurdle you will hear from any chef.  I’m in a job that I’m so passionate about and I enjoy getting up to go to work every day.  But there’s another half of my life that I realize I have to balance out. 

cwc:  What is your favorite part of your job?  

Brad:  It’s never the same.  Every day is different. 

cwc:  Is there a “best kept secret” about Oceanaire?   

Brad:  We really do get the freshest fish because we work directly with the fishermen.  We can procure things.  People wouldn’t believe how closely we work with the fishermen and the delicacies that are available to us.  And that we have a really good time!  We really have fun doing what we do.  We’re not a typical restaurant.  When we opened here, we sent back ninety percent of what we received the first four days.  I don’t think anyone in town realized we were that earnest in our search for fresh.  The words “top catch” and “day boat” get thrown around on menus.  Our catch phrase is “ultra fresh.”  We buy the whole fish and do all of the butchering in house to ensure that it really is the absolute freshest.  We want to see the head, the eyes and the gills.  I don’t think many others take that initiative.  It costs more, but we will be the preferred seafood destination.  People comment on the difference saying, “This fish tastes more like water than fish.”  Then they realize that this is what a fish tastes like right out of the water. 

cwc:  You have Old Bay seasoning on every table.  Why Old Bay? 

Brad:  Our concept is a combination of a 1930’s ocean liner and supper club.  The ‘30’s brought us some of the staples that are a part of our culture here at the Oceanaire.  We have sea salt, Tabasco and Heinz 57 ketchup at the table, not flowers.  All this being paired with white table cloths and fine china breaks down the barriers to fine dining.  We are an ultra fine dining establishment, but are also very comfortable.  We keep things simple.  A simple piece of fish…the ketchup is on the table if you want it for your fries. 

cwc:  What are your goals for the future?   

Brad:  Short term, to be a partner in this company; to prosper it, to further the brand.  This is one of the best companies I’ve ever worked for.  Long term, I’d like to live somewhere along the coast with my daughter and open a small, beachside restaurant.  I’d like to get back to the sea.  I’ve been land locked, but really enjoy living on the ocean.  I guess I picked the right place to work! 

cwc:  What’s the best advice you ever received?

Brad:  If you have to feel bad to make someone else feel good, you need to question what you’re doing in your life.  It’s a simple thing.  I’ve had to say it to myself.  It’s pretty personal.  But if I have to feel bad about going to work every day or making certain decisions, then I might want to question what I am doing.  Also, follow your passion.  When I was very young a woman said to me, “A lot of people work to make a living.  You need to make a living out of work.”  I understand what she means now.  I’m happy to be doing what I do.  Follow what makes you tick.  Don’t venture off just to try to make a living.

Brad MacFiggen of the Oceanaire is living and working in his sweet spot.  With Lorelei at his side, it seems that he has already found that ocean view.