The most sought after table in the Hamptons is the Ocean Club, at the newly revamped Montauk Yacht Club resort which sits on 16 waterfront acres. Behind the instant success of summer’s smash restaurant is award-winning South African Chef Jarad McCarroll. Avenue caught up with the culinary sensation in between meals.
You’re from South Africa but moved to Switzerland at 21.
I studied there for almost two years at a school called DCT, which stands for Dreams Come True. I graduated valedictorian then I went to London for the next nine years.
You studied under Chef Patrick Diethelm in Switzerland.
He was a great mentor and a very well decorated chef. That was my first introduction to a kitchen. It was super interesting – intense and high pressure and taught you the basics of how to prepare for the reality of the kitchen when you step into it.
After Switzerland you moved to London.
I had one interview, and it was at the Ritz London. I managed to land the job. I was 23. I was getting paid like 14,400 pounds a year. I could barely live, but it was a great introduction to five-star hotels and good cooking. It was hard walking into this brigade of 55 chefs and starting around at the bottom. I had these 18-year-old whippersnappers screaming at me and throwing profanities in my way. That’s how the kitchen was back in those days. You put your head down and deal with it. It was an extremely rewarding process, but I wasn’t always sure if I would make it through.
You opened the acclaimed M restaurant in London then a few years down the line you moved to saint Barth.
The opening of Ocean Club Saint Barth was the most stressful thing I’ve done. It was my first business as a shareholder, and we had some issues. Through that process I stopped drinking, I started meditating more. I decided to remove habits that didn’t suit me and start focusing on things that would make me stronger and more mindful. If I can move every day for up to an hour, whether that’s cycling or some activity – that really helps my mindset. I do a lot of ice baths, green juices and pushing my body a little bit more helps me gain some space in my mind and clears out the stress.
Speaking of stressful, you moved to Saint Barth to open Ocean Club right when hurricane Irma hit.
I left London and shipped my stuff two months before. You go from London to Amsterdam and from Amsterdam to Saint Martin. When I arrived in Amsterdam, there was no planes going to the islands anymore. The hurricane had literally hit while I was in air. Hurricane Irma destroyed the island. I got stuck in Holland for 40 days. Then I made it there and we had the highest score for Saint Barth. We had all these accolades and then Covid happened.
“The concept behind Ocean Club is like we are opening the engine and you can see the engine behind the car moving and you get to sit and watch the show come to life as we prepare your food.”
Chef Jarad McCarroll
But then Montauk Yacht Club happened and an Ocean Club there.
I was extremely lucky. Just before Memorial Day, my friend called on a Friday saying, we need some help. The executive chef was leaving. The menu was a disaster. There was no staffing. I sort of changed the menu. I got the restaurant up and running and ready for Memorial Day weekend. It was a big weekend, and they liked what I did. Hence the Ocean Club Montauk was born.
The design of the restaurant with the open kitchen feels like a stage with you in the starring role.
I designed the restaurant. This is the third restaurant I’ve created and all three have an open kitchen. I don’t want to be stuck in a basement somewhere or behind the scenes. People want the entertainment – that’s why there’s so many popular TV cooking shows. The concept behind Ocean Club is like we are opening the engine and you can see the engine behind the car moving and you get to sit and watch the show come to life as we prepare your food.
The food is excellent – possibly the best in the Hamptons. And you have a nod to your home with the section called “Braai,” the famed South African barbecue.
It’s something that I grew up with in South Africa. We have a national Braai Day. It’s cooking on wooden charcoal or some sort of open fire. I love to combine the smoky flavors of a Braai with the refined palate of French cooking. One of the main things is we cook for longer, so we give the meat a lot more love as opposed to rushing it. This allows the meat to come to temperature over a longer period.
Was having a restaurant in the States always the goal?
I was looking at opening a restaurant in Charlotte, North Carolina for many years and that fell through and then Ocean Club Montauk came along. It’s not for us to always understand the reason why things happen, but more to go with the flow of life. Sometimes it works out better than what we planned in our head. I’m very grateful for this opportunity at the Ocean Club. I really love Safe Harbor [Marinas], the owners. This is just the beginning.
You have a wife and three small kids. How is family life in Montauk?
Montauk is extremely beautiful – the nature, the trees, wildlife, the deer, the bunnies running around. The cold temperature of the ocean is amazing as well. My family are happy and settled here and that makes my life a lot easier.
You’ve had quite a unique and global career as a chef – there must be a Jarad McCarroll cookbook or memoir waiting to be published.
I definitely have a book inside me. If you look at my three children, one was born in London, the second one was born in Saint Martin and the third one was born in Richmond, Virginia. There are some fascinating stories to tell from all of them. I definitely feel like there’s a cookbook – and an autobiography as well one day – but I need to accomplish a few more things before that happens. – PETER DAVIS
All photographs by Evan Sung
