Flanked by two massive aquariums stretching almost to the ceiling and filled with an array of tropical fish, John Kushner, chef and manager of Ocean Blue, looks like a kid in a candy store. Or rather, an aquarium.
The giant tanks (the fish are for display only) are surrounded by a 150-foot-long moat that will soon operate as the track for the sushi regatta, a continuous stream of 57 boats with different sushi plates available for the customers to pick up as they float by.
Kushner began his love affair with sushi at the age of 7, when his dad started rolling nigiri at home after a business trip to Japan. His favorite sushi to this day is the Red Dragon, a crispy tuna tempura roll.
Kushner never planned on getting into the restaurant business, even when he worked as a waiter for the Inn at Little Washington throughout high school. Beginning as a car washer, Kushner worked his way up through the ranks by learning the “one-liners” (sentence-long summaries of minute details about the Inn’s linens, cutlery, etc.) that captured the essence of the restaurant. His one-liner for Ocean Blue: “an island-inspired restaurant sourcing fare from land and sea.”
After studying at the University of Arizona, Kushner moved to New York to take a gap year. He ended up at a casting call for servers at a forthcoming Bobby Flay restaurant and was hired after spending an hour with the general manager talking about his experiences at the Inn at Little Washington, which he refers to as his big break. Within nine months, Kushner’s life firmly took root in the culinary world as he became the manager at Mesa Grill and eventually helped Flay launch the same concept in Las Vegas.
With trips to Hawaii, Jamaica and the Mediterranean, Kushner combined some of the world’s island vibes into his Cascades restaurant, set to open Aug. 15.
The restaurant is designed to show off the boats and the aquariums as the centerpiece, with moat-side seating and a large patio area accessible through two large garage doors.
The sushi regatta, which will operate in two shifts from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and 5-9 p.m., will float past with Caribbean lobster rolls, Hawaiian poke rolls, tempura lobster and more, prepared by two sushi chefs from a work station in the middle of it all. There will also be a ramen bar, plus a full menu ranging from burgers and fish tacos to steak and king crab legs. Most of the fish is sourced from Hawaii with beef and chicken coming from local sources.
Kushner hasn’t forgotten his childhood love of sushi and will include a kids menu, a designated area for aquarium-watching and, eventually, a partnership with local schools to offer field trips featuring the two aquariums and the marine biologist hired to routinely check up on the fish.
“My daughter played a big part in that idea,” he said of Zoe, 4. “She loves sushi, especially California rolls.” // Ocean Blue: 21438 Epicerie Plaza, Sterling
