KEVIN JOSEPH

Founder, Owner & Creator - Empire Oyster, RAW LAB & LTLE FISH

DIVE DEEP HERE: BIO + Link Tree + Expanded Story

AN OYSTER EPIPHANY

In 2010, Kevin moved to NYC after 20 years of life in Colorado. He soon noticed an “Oyster Revival” in progress in NYC. At that time oysters were trending and oyster programs were being highlighted in NYC and surrounds. Consumers were asking questions about oysters, exploring them with renewed vigor and consuming them in record numbers. Kevin saw this to be similar to what had happened with wine in the US in the decades before. He looked for the thought leaders. There were few, if any. At this moment Kevin committed to becoming a leader in the space and founded NY Oyster Week as a way to earn some authority in the area and lead consumers into a deeper appreciation of the history, culture, cuisine, economy and ecology of oysters.

As NY Oyster Week grew, The OysterHood was founded as a community where all things oysters could be explored, myths busted and value created for all parties to oysters (growers, shuckers, chefs, distributors and consumers). Hundreds of events were produced where tens of thousands of guests were EDU-tained with the support of numerous beer, wine & spirits sponsors.

ENTERING THE SEAFOOD DISTRIBUTION ARENA

Along the way, Kevin took on the role of National Sales Director for Blue Island Oyster Company, a leading distributor of oysters in NYC and, with Kevin’s efforts, nationwide. It afforded him a singular opportunity to travel the continent, sourcing and selling oysters. He got an education in aquaculture, seafood-hospitality, seafood forward wines and much, much more. As Kevin found himself training Chefs and Servers NYC’s finest restaurants and hotels, it occured to him that the raw bar (as they we’re attempting to execute it) was a tired and old concept, an after thought to their main menu, dying for an upgrade and run by those who had very little understanding of the people, places or processes that created the food they were trying to sell at a premium. Going forward, Kevin decided to take a new approach.

EMPIRE OYSTER BEGINS

In 2014 he founded Empire Oyster and set out to continue to lead in the space, deliver a suite of services to restaurants / Chefs in need of elevating their raw bar programs and offer new and expanded catering options for raw bar and seafood to elite consumers, directly. The business and the brand grew. As it did, Kevin realized that consumers were also asking good questions about seafood in general and he noted that consumers of seafood is a much bigger market than that of raw bar / oysters. So, the offerings expanded to include other shellfish, fin fish and an expanded raw bar menu that included caviar, ceviche, crudo and more.

A MERMMELIER IS BORN

Though his practice and relentless pursuit of knowledge he realized that in American Cuisine there was not a specialization in seafood like there had been for centuries on French cuisine. Wine had Sommeliers. Beer had Cicerones. What is oysters and fish have? The “ÉCAILLER” (fish guy) in the French Brigade / Escoffier System was always a real and respected kitchen position / professional title. Fish-Mongers bought and sold fish, wholesale and retail (in shops). But what would you call someone who was operating in the FRONT OF HOUSE, in a seafood restaurants. A Shucker? A Raw Bar Tender? And what if that person was sourcing and presenting A LOT more than oysters? What if the American Raw Bar offering now has a menu that featured caviar, crudo, ceviche and an articulate ambassador for the people and processes that bring the product to market. What if this person had a broad and deep expertise and experience with all of the kinds of species and preparations that would fit this front of house station…and could build value in a raw bar experience for the guest? This new role needed a fitting title so Kevin combined the terms Mer + Merroir + Sommelier and the new category of professional was defined and articulated as a Mermmelier…one who is to oysters and seafood what a Somm is to wine. Kevin stepped into the title and has grown into a master in this craft.

THE GENESIS OF MARINE CUISINE - SEAFOOD VERSION 3.0

As the business, his expertise and his leadership position in the space grew Kevin was forced to pivot once again as COVID came along. It has been occurring to Kevin that there was a NEW opportunity to differentiate SMART SEAFOOD from “all the rest”. After all, SEAFOOD was served at Red Lobster and Le Bernadin. So what was the difference? The answer was this: People. Process. Product. Preparation. Presentation.

This seemed to present an opportunity for him to do so and, at the same time, to define his culinary ethic, philosophy and style. It needed to go well beyond the benevolent bivalve. Understanding this Kevin began to search for ways to do so. He filed a TM for the term MARINE CUISINE in early 2019 and, more began to work out the language to describe it.

In this time frame (2018 & 2019) EMPIRE OYSTER’s consulting and catering business was growing nicely. Then the bottom dropped out of the entire industry in March 2020 as COVID set in. After an initial period of panic and uncertainty at the onset of the pandemic Kevin got some good news. His MARINE CUISINE Trademark was approved. This gave him a tool to market and differentiate himself to an elite Hampton’s clientele as their Private Chef de Marine Cuisine in the summer of 2020. Suddenly, he was serving (and expanding his menu) to millionaires and billionaires on their yachts and in there homes in East Hampton, Montauk, Sag Harbor and Newport, RI. It caught fire and the fire spread to the winter markets for the same clients. Palm Beach, Miami, Sarasota and Tampa were where he had to go to grow. In the process of going North and South seasonally, he made some friends in Charleston and got a lead on a space there. Long story short, he took a chance to go “brick and mortar” as a means by which he could experiment, innovate and further develop his culinary chops. It worked.

In this time frame Kevin re-invented himself yet again as a Private Chef / Yacht Chef offering an articulated philosophy behind SMART SEAFOOD He coined the phrase MARINE CUISINE, SUPPORTED it with the term, DelicaSEAS, and began offering his to discerning consumers in markets like The Hamptons, Miami, Palm Beach, Newport, RI, NYC and beyond. In this time frame Kevin fully articulated the concept of MARINE CUISINE and found a way and a place to practice it. He was also able to secure a federal trademark on this term which is a part of the much larger plan and a key ownership of the space, massive revenues / profits and a great amount of good.

UNDERSTANDING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TERM / PHILOSOPHY & CULINARY ETHIC THAT IS MARINE CUISINE

Seafood v.1.0 was “anything from anywhere, put on a plate”. This lasted until 1999 basically, when real collapses in fisheries began to change the marketplace and Monterrey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program (wiki) was launched.

Seafood v.2.0 was what was understood and being adopted and promoted in the era post Monterrey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program (official site). This never evolved much but now there finally is an understanding of both sides of the coin: What’s best for your health and whats best for the Earth. It only took 25 years for them to come to what they call Seafood Basics.

Seafood v.2.5 might have excited to, as the horribly branded and not too long lived “TRASH FISH” movement which chefs tried to use to promote lesser known species of fish and by-catch.

Seafood v.3.0 - Marine Cuisine

INVENTING AN ENTIRELY NEW WAY TOO EXPERIENCE AND APPRECIATE FOOD, WINE, PAIRINGS, HOSPITALITY…etc.

RAW LAB was created in August 2021 and opened, officially in February 2022. Success was immediate. People came and raved, the media covered it well, social media posts went viral and it all went tick, tick, BOOM! Through the application and adaptation of the ancient Omakase style of service to Raw Bar Fare, a semi-private / private space and a sharp vision for FUN dining and edu-tainment. In this tiny space which was built around a single, 12 seat, U-shaped bar, EVERYONE has a front row seat and the chef in their lap. The 4 hour experience is “dinner & a show” is delivered with passion, energy, honesty and humility such that the guests loose track of time, become present and participate in the offering and eachother’’s excitement, Kevin is the conductor or this orchestra. His approachable personality, keen perception of mood and attitude, polished choreography, irreverent self-deprecation and lightning fast wit are woven together in such as way, and more make the most of any group. This might be one definition of a true Maestro.

CHARLESTON CONFIDENTIAL

In a tiny, somewhat hidden space off a sleepy street in Downtown Charleston with ZERO visibility or curb appeal, Kevin was able to create an entirely new product, service and experience that clearly engaged and enchanted the most interesting, interested, well-traveled and well-fed Epicureans and Gourmands. For the first 2 years 95% of the customers were locals. Word or mouth was a wild-fire. Now, nearly 3 years in, consumers from all over are coming and saying: “We came to Charleston to experience Raw Lab because we were told it was amazing. We booked seats and then we booked flights and hotel.”.

The entry into Charleston was BRUTAL. A Yankee touting MARINE CUISINE and an Omakase-Style Raw Bar was NOT what the local hospitality community wanted to see or hear. In the process of opening Kevin had to endure grand larceny, assault, a knife attack and a 15 month onslaught of liable, defamation and slander at the hands of 2 disgruntled employees in Charleston. He nearly left town but for the support of the local consumers who LOVED what he started with RAW LAB. He stuck too it. It took off. Kevin’s is a story of an Original of the Species who NEVER gave up.

Kevin’s magic bullet and added value is his knowledge, passion and commitment to the finest seafood and the people that produce it. He has a gift for creating and delivering colorful, delicious, healthy dishes and pairings that people love. His way of articulating the rational behind, value of and reason for dishes, pairings and more is delivered in the most humble, fun and authentic way…a way that inspires his guests. His next challenge is to find and train others who are capable of delivering the same product, service and experience in markets around the world. As a professional ski instructor for 35 years (at the highest levels including years of teaching private lessons in Vail, CO and St. Moritz, Switzerland) Kevin knows his core competency is that of a coach, guide, teacher and host. Some success has come from this recruitment, training and mentorship of several chefs and assistants in Charleston as evidenced by the success of the spin-off concept of LTLE FISH. This is a kind of proving ground or Academie Mermmelier, used to both delight consumers and steward young, professional, motivated, creative Chefs into a place where they can one day own the title of Master Mermmelier and execute RAW LAB service.

RAW LAB has now matured into a culinary and experiential phenomenon and a destination. It’s earned a place in the zeitgeist nationally and at the top of the heap in the Charleston dining scene as evidenced by its attainment and maintenance of a 4.9 star rating on RESY. And now, LTLE FISH has come to live as an a la carte version of RAW LAB. It too has earned and maintained a 4.9 star rating on RESY. So, now 2 of the 13 restaurants in Charleston to hold such a high rating are concepts Kevin has created and operates.

The model is proven in a relatively small market (400,000 people in Charleston County) and is now ready to move into a Tier 1 food and media market, like Laguna Beach and Orange County (with 3.1 mm residents, very close to LA and San Diego). Beyond that we see the opportunity to open in dozens of A+ food and media markets, world-wide. This is the plan and the goal. This is Kevin’s dream and destiny. This will be his legacy.