Ocean City's Big Easy on 60 mixes Eastern Shore traditions with Cajun

There was a shift change underway at The Big Easy on 60 and chef Tracy Owes was conducting the kitchen staff as if they were members of an orchestra.

“Right here, we’re making you this Cajun seafood pasta with andouille sausage, mussels, crab meat,” he continued listing the ingredients and preparation steps, all the while gesturing to Travis Burton, the night shift supervisor. Burton was cooking the meal, flipping and stirring.

Owes speaks in the first person plural. Everything is “we” and “let’s” but it isn’t spoken from above, in a condescending way. Owes is a part of everything, and his kitchen sings with vigor because everyone in it has something in common — they love to cook.

All through the hiring process, owner Mark Hall was looking for a chef like Owes.

“I didn’t want someone who walked around all day with a clipboard,” he said. “We all work here and I wanted a chef who was a part of that.”

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Hall reimagined the buffet-style eatery that had been in his family for a generation into a more-upscale restaurant about four years ago (this is the beginning of their third summer season). His idea was to meet the rising demand for quality food and service over the quick-shot, fry it and serve it mentality that had been popular among Ocean City restaurants for some time.

Being open year-round means competing for the educated consumer and for Hall that meant emphasizing novelty, quality and the overall dining experience. The building itself has a relaxed, deep-South feel from the lanai before the entrance, to the airy wood and glass ambience within.

“I didn’t want to do the same exact thing that is everywhere,” he said.

Hall started by making it look like a better restaurant and then sought the staff to make it run like one as well. 

Owes comes from a fine dining background already and was himself a little wary of the corporate chef mentality. He welcomed the challenge to marry Eastern Shore traditions with Cajun ones.

“People say, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,' ” he said. “But if you want to be good in the restaurant business you have to break it and fix it every year.”

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Owes speaks rapid-fire and with confidence and, sometimes, a little bit like a pitchman, enumerating how The Big Easy on 60’s processes improve the food and the dining experience.

He punctuates every point with, “We love to cook!” as if it were a slogan.

But at The Big Easy on 60 it is more a mantra than a slogan. They fresh-chop the collard greens because they love to cook, hand prep every meal because they love to cook, refuse to use a microwave because they love to cook.

Also, they cook all day because they love to cook.

Weekend mornings find regulars and weekenders wandering in early, looking for a big, lazy breakfast. Having that extraordinary breakfast option was another important part built into establishing the restaurant’s allure.

Brunch doesn’t have to be limited to Sundays and the breakfast menu at The Big Easy on 60 encourages indulgence.

In fact, the entire menu is built with a joy about making food and a joy about appreciating it. The idea is to for guests to take their time and have a dining experience more than just a meal.

Owes placed a seafood omelette before Joanne Forbes, a regular who was sitting at the bar. Saturday afternoons, especially as the off season comes to an end, have a kind of clubby feel and he knows all the regulars by name.

“We don’t count carbs or calories here,” Owes said as Forbes eyed the dish and laughed.

A legitimate sense of teamwork but also of camaraderie both in the back of the house and in the restaurant itself provides added ambience in a way no lighting or decoration could. Owes kidded with and was kidded by staff and regulars alike as he made his way back to the kitchen from the bar, slapping backs and saying hellos. Everyone clearly was happy to be there even on a cold spring afternoon.

Owes returned to the kitchen and continued conducting, checking in with the evening shift and checking out the morning shift.

“Everything here is made by guys who are actually cooking real food,” he said, getting back to work. “I mean, we love to cook.”

IF YOU GO

Big Easy on 60

Where: 5909 Coastal Highway, Ocean City

Info: thebigeasyon60.com; 410-524-2305