savor
SHARK BAR AND KITCHEN
C H E FScott Surratt
It can take a little while for a new restaurant to find its feet, but Shark Bar and Kitchen hit the
ground running. Competing just one month after opening, the town’s freshest spot received high
marks as it placed second in the judges’ Best Overall vote and took third place in the People’s Choice
category.
“Before joining on, I spoke with owners Alan and Jen Giaquinto and I told them that one
aspect I love is the events,” chef Scott
Surratt says. “I like getting out there
to meet some of the people we’re
serving. I want us to do well and
serve good food and be known for
it.”
The restaurant is Surratt’s second
stop in town since moving to the
area from the Outer Banks in March
2017. As executive chef at Ceviche’s,
he provided a recipe for Wrightsville
Beach Magazine’s story on lionfish
(Eat Them to Beat Them, July 2017)
before joining the staff at Shark.
The son of a restaurant-working
mother, Surratt has been in the
kitchen since childhood. His inter-est
in cooking comes equally from
passion developed from those early
experiences and necessity for jobs as
he went through college, where he
nearly went into nursing.
“I had one semester left and my
state boards to become an RN, but
it just wasn’t for me,” he says. “All
of my side jobs through college were
cooking and I decided I wanted to
take it seriously.”
The competition dish came straight from Shark’s lunch and dinner menu. The decision to prepare
it instead of whipping up a one-off for the occasion was an easy one.
“It’s one of our more popular items and helps let people see what we have to offer,” Surratt says.
“I wanted to get our menu items out there.”
The Taste of Wrightsville Beach’s philanthropic element made the event a win-win for Surratt.
“I just love cooking, and I want to be involved in the community as much as possible,” he says.
“I want to give back, and it’s
not doing much, but things
like this help me feel like I’m
doing something good rather
than just making people fatter.”
VENITTA REEVES
Shark Bar and Kitchen chef Scott Surratt and judge Eric Gephart.
OW N E R S Alan and Jennifer Giaquinto
LOCAT I O N 13 East Salisbury Street
NO. 2 BEST OVERALL
85
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