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DOUG TURBUSH ASSEMBLES TOP-SHELF TEAM FOR DRIFT FISH HOUSE & OYSTER BAR
Wednesday January 27, 2016
ATLANTA (Jan. 25, 2016) – Doug Turbush did not have to look far to find the talent he wanted for his
newest restaurant, Drift Fish House & Oyster Bar. The chef/restaurateur has stocked his forthcoming
East Cobb venture with longtime team members Brendan Keenan, Jason Raymond and Jose Pereiro,
who all previously contributed to the success of his other Marietta restaurants, Seed Kitchen & Bar and
Stem Wine Bar. Although they have very different backgrounds within the hospitality industry, this
management staff shares a very important trait with their respected leader: a passion for providing
impeccable service and introducing guests to new culinary experiences.
Brendan Keenan has been serving as chef de cuisine at Turbush’s Marietta restaurants since 2011. A
graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in New York, his formative years were spent out West
learning from some of the industry’s top talents, like James Beard Award-winning chefs Michael Mina at
Aqua and Julian Serrano at Masa’s in San Francisco. A move to Atlanta brought Keenan to Woodfire Grill,
The Sound Table and Bluepointe, which is where he first met Turbush and later reconnected for the
opening of Seed.
“I have known Brendan for many years, and I trust him implicitly not only for his ability to create dishes
that are both approachable and exciting, but also for his commitment to trying new techniques and
flavors,” says Turbush. “From the very start, Brendan has been a major component of the high-quality
dining experience that has made Seed and Stem successful.”
Turbush and Keenan plan to showcase the best seafood species that the East and Gulf Coasts have to
offer at Drift. The menu of creative seafood dishes includes shareable plates and raw bar items as well
as larger-format entrées. Offerings range from oven-roasted clams, chilled seafood platters and a
selection of crudos to a variety of po’ boys and lobster rolls and entrées such as wood-grilled whole fish
and rib-eye. Keenan also plans to put a new twist on classic seafood dishes like oysters Rockefeller and
will use his extensive travels as inspiration for creating exotic flavor profiles and playful nightly specials
at the new restaurant.
Joining Keenan in executing Turbush’s vision of a chef-driven restaurant with an approachable menu,
modern cocktails and craft beer and wine are director of operations Jason Raymond and bar manager
Jose Pereiro.
Raymond was born into hospitality management - his parents were restaurant owners - and also gets to
indulge in his passion for wine as Drift's sommelier. “My job allows me to fill several roles that I really
enjoy," Raymond says. "Training staff in the ways of genuine hospitality is very rewarding. I also love the
entertainment value of wine; the way it brings people together.”
Raymond’s formal hospitality career began in 2002 after he earned a bachelor’s degree in hotel
management and a master’s degree from Switzerland's Centre International de Glion. He spent three
years as a private dining and restaurant manager at the Boca Raton Resort & Club in West Palm Beach,
Florida, before moving to The Breakers, where he discovered his passion for wine under the tutelage of
master sommelier Virginia Philip. “That’s really where I fell in love with wine,” he says.
In 2008, Raymond opened the City Fish Market in Boca Raton for the Buckhead Life Group before
relocating to Atlanta to become the beverage manager for Bluepointe. A year later, he was hired by
Turbush and finally got the opportunity to combine his management experience with his knowledge of
wine as general manager and sommelier for Seed Kitchen & Bar and Stem Wine Bar.
At Drift, Raymond plans to focus heavily on whites and lighter reds to complement the seafood, along
with “some really cool sparkling wines by the glass,” he says. He looks forward to broadening guests’
horizons when it comes to trying different varietals and removing the intimidation that diners often feel
when tasting something new.
Complementing Raymond’s passion for wine is bar manager Jose Pereiro’s fervor for the art of mixology.
He became acquainted with the hospitality industry while bartending in Venezuela. In 2006, he moved
to the United States and began working at Rosa Mexicano in Atlanta, where his manager soon
recognized Pereiro’s strong knowledge of and passion for spirits and placed him in a head bartender role
at the restaurant’s new Miami location. Once in Miami, Pereiro became an active member of the craft
cocktail scene, joining the U.S. Bartender’s Guild and participating in bartending competitions.
He continued to hone his craft cocktail knowledge and soon joined the bartending staff at Seed Kitchen
& Bar. The cocktails he crafted for the Marietta restaurant won first place at the 2012 Remy V cocktail
competition and the 2014 Fernet-Branca cocktail competition in Miami as well as the 2015 Ketel One
Master of the Mule competition in Atlanta.
Pereiro is now bringing his talents to Drift, developing a complex craft cocktail program built around top-
notch spirits and ingredients of the same superb quality as those found in the restaurant's cuisine.
Drift is opening in February for nightly dinner service, with lunch and brunch service to follow at a later
date. The restaurant is located in The Avenue East Cobb at 4475 Roswell Road in Marietta. For more
information, visit driftoysterbar.com. Updates can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.
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