NFIB
member, James Costello recently won First runner-up in
the 2014 Jersey Seafood Challenge. Costello and his wife, Dana, own the The
Ohana Grill in Lavallette.
Each year the New Jersey Secretary of
Agriculture holds the Jersey Seafood Challenge to decide who will be sent to
The Great American Seafood Cook-off in New Orleans. This year’s winners, Jeffrey
Wierzbicki and his Sous Chef Brian Kirby of Winberie’s in Summit, will represent
New Jersey in the national competition that will be televised on the Food
Network.
Costello
said he was thrilled to be selected to participate in the competition two years
in a row. Last year he won the honor of Second runner-up, and
hopes that his jump to first runner-up is an indication that he could win the
competition next year.
“If
we get invited again, we will do it,” Costello said.
This
year Costello and his Sous Chef John Higgins made an Applewood Smoked
Pan-Seared Monkfish over New Jersey Corn Cheese Grits with butter-poached New Jersey
asparagus with a New Jersey Raspberry wine reduction. Costello said the entire
dish consisted of products from New Jersey which highlighted the Monkfish. We “New Jersey tricked it out,” he said. He’s
hoping to add the dish to Ohana’s specials menu soon.
Costello has been in the restaurant/bar
business for over 25 years and this is the fifth restaurant he has run. This is the first restaurant he takes the
role as Head Chef.
Costello has a talented team with him at the
Ohana Grill each with expertise in different areas. “We learn from each other. We all do it together.”
Surprisingly
enough, even though Costello has had great success in the kitchen, he got his
start behind the bar. He started his career as a bartender and moved up to be a
bar manager, then bar owner. Since all of the bars also had restaurants he
gained the experience necessary to be a successful restaurateur.
Costello
said that running a small business, especially a restaurant, isn’t the easiest
thing one can decide to do.
“There
are a lot of people who get into this business and they don’t know what they
are getting into, as we see from the reality TV shows” he said. “A lot of
people need to think about it before they start a small business
restaurant. It is big commitment and you
need to love and be able to do every facet of the business”
The
Ohana Grill is thriving and is considered the second best seafood joint in New
Jersey. Costello also mentioned that his success wouldn’t be possible without his
wife Dana, who also works at the restaurant and shares the roles of running the
day to day operations. “Dana and I have
worked together for many years and we both always envisioned we would one day
have a place like the Ohana Grill”
