Perdido Beach Resort chef takes top national prize
By Jennifer Kornegay
With its wall of windows providing sweeping views of Gulf waves kissing white-sand shores, Voyagers has been an elegant eating institution in Orange Beach, Alabama, since 1989. For decades, the refined restaurant inside the Perdido Beach Resort has delighted diners from all over and often played a celebratory role, hosting marriage proposals, honeymooners and 50th wedding anniversaries, as well as a multitude of other memorable moments and milestones.
Today, it retains much of its original character — including its knockout view — but the addition of Chef Brody Olive in 2016 brought renewed energy to the grand dame of coastal fine dining. Olive’s commitment to source local seafood and the innovative treatment it gets in his kitchen have elevated the place that was already on a tall pedestal. Olive reveres its history as much as anyone.
“It was the first fine dining on the Alabama Gulf Coast; the nostalgia of this place and the alumni of chefs — their high level of pedigrees — who’ve been through here are amazing,” he says. “The bones were great. I just brought a little polish and a fresh take. We now mix the white-tablecloth tradition with a bit of fun and the more adventurous dishes that I like to do.”
Diners can experience Olive’s approach in classic oysters Rockefeller, where the starter’s standard hollandaise is buoyed with red-eye gravy infused with the flavor of slow-roasted ham bones. Or in mac ’n’ cheese rich with Asher Blue and bits of Bill E’s Bacon made in nearby Fairhope. “They’re small touches that make a big difference,” Olive says.
Using local bacon is just the beginning of Olive’s quest for quality; it’s equally evident in seafood and prime steaks. “All our proteins are ultra-fresh; we have the best seafood right here, so I get the best seafood,” he says. For some of his fish, Olive relies on area spearfishermen, who bring him grouper, snapper and more less than 24 hours out of the water. “I love working with those guys; spearfishing is so sustainable, and that’s part of what I want to do as well: raise awareness about the health of the Gulf.”
He treats these ingredients simply, insisting it’s all they need. “We source these fine products, so I never want to overpower them with too many seasonings or heavy sauces,” he says. Olive points to Voyagers’ whole fish dish, a constant on the menu whose specific fish and preparation change often. “By cooking it whole, the skin holds the moisture, and the taste you get is pure because whatever we put on it, it doesn’t really get through the skin,” he said. “Like the salsa verde we’re doing with the whole fish now. You taste the fresh fish, but the salsa just adds some brightness.”
The menu is swimming with selections that share this philosophy. Pretty and petite farmed oysters from Admiral Shellfish Company are bathed in layers of garlic. A dry rub of habanero pepper gives Gulf grouper a low, smoky heat. Steaks are usually dressed in nothing but salt, pepper, butter and a sprinkling of fresh herbs.
Steaks still a sizable section
An emphasis on seafood may seem like a no-brainer for a beach restaurant, but for a time, Voyagers’ steaks were making the most splash as the best-selling entrees. “I’m a seafood guy, and we’re on the beach, so I made the menu more fish-focused,” Olive says. He didn’t ignore the sales figures though. A sizable steak section remains. “There is no nice steakhouse down here, so we are pleased to fill that void, and our beef is really top-notch,” he says.
The entire menu, which changes five to six times a year, is Olive’s love letter to the Gulf Coast. “Every season gives me something good to work with, but my favorite is probably summer, when those first heirloom tomatoes come in and the silver queen corn.” He relishes pairing fresh produce with fresh fish, and being farther south, he gets to do it longer. “We have an extended growing season, so I can hang onto summer,” he says.
Olive’s affection runs deep, but it’s somewhat new. Born in Birmingham, he spent a good part of his life in Newnan, Georgia, and made it back to Birmingham to work at Ocean restaurant after time at Johnston & Wales University’s culinary school in Charleston. He had never even visited Alabama’s beaches until he made the move down to the coast in 2007. He worked in several area restaurants until he navigated his way to Voyagers.
Under Olive’s watch, both the quality and creativity of the food is shining, but it’s not the only gem. Olive touts a stellar wine list and praises his team. “Our staff, the service level, it can’t be beat,” he says. “Everyone has passion for this, and it shows in their professionalism and their knowledge of what they’re serving. They’re telling the stories of our fishermen and farmers.”
While Voyagers enjoys decades of repeat guests and accolades, in August 2023, Olive was crowned King of American Seafood (the first Alabama chef to earn the honor since chef Jim Smith in 2011) by besting 12 competitors at the Great American Seafood Cookoff. The win brought the restaurant a lot more attention, something Olive is a little uncomfortable with when it puts the spotlight solely on him but relishes when it helps him highlight the restaurant, his staff and his beloved Alabama coast. “We see a lot of out of towners, and I love showing off what we do, the farmers and fishermen who help us do it, and exceeding expectations,” he says. “It’s rewarding to hear how much guests enjoy what we do.”
But the best part transports Olive back to a big table in his past. “I have a very large family, and food was always happiness for us,” he says. “It was all the folks together gathered around eating. I have so many fond memories of that. Now, I make new memories with new folks, their honeymoons and anniversaries. I get to bring the food component to that event for them. That’s lights me up; that’s what makes this work so special.”
Best catch
Voyagers chef Brody Olive won the Great American Seafood Cookoff in 2023 with a dish that was designed to be delicious but also tell a story about his coastal community. “Fishing on the Rocks, The Jetties at Perdido Pass” featured smoked gaff-top catfish alongside flash-fried mole crabs, horseradish cream with shrimp, pickled purslane and smoked paprika.
Using multiple oft-underutilized Gulf coast species wowed the judges, but for Olive, the dish represents happy days enjoying his fishing hobby. “The thought was taking a bad day of fishing and making it good. The catfish is what some people consider trash fish,” he says. “The mole crabs and shrimp are what I often use for bait.” (He had tasted mole crabs before and calls them “little popcorn nuggets with the flavor of soft-shell crab.”) The purslane is a beach-growing succulent. “It makes a super salty pickle,” Olive says. And the smoke for the fish came courtesy of scrub oak branches Olive routinely trims from his own yard as a chore.
“I took a dune weed, some bait and a ‘trash’ fish and created a winning dish,” he says. “My sous chef Louis Silvestre, who was essential, and I had so much fun with it, and I’m so proud we got to showcase our state and my love of fishing and my home.”
