Sandole has grown his brand locally to include a hopping cocktail bar and sushi spot
CM: Tell us about growing up in New England.
JS: As a little kid, I would help my dad at his wholesale seafood company making deliveries and working the retail store. As the story goes, he once went out fishing for a weekend trip to Nantucket and caught what he describes as “a truckload of striped bass.” He started making more trips going door-to-door to restaurants selling fish and fell in love with the area. He moved to the island and founded East Coast Provisions and Seafood in 1978.
CM: What brought you to Charleston?
JS: I went to school for business and finance and got close to moving to New York for Wall Street, but I’ve always loved F&B. I originally started growing the 167 brand while in Nantucket with my own raw bar catering company, and doing pop-ups at Cisco Brewers. In 2006, I came to visit some friends who went to College of Charleston, was sold immediately, and moved down here the next year.
CM: How did the concept evolve?
JS: The oyster game in Charleston has come a long way since we opened 167 Raw in 2014. At the time, we only had four seats, with the rest of the space devoted to storing fish and prepared foods. From day one, people thought it was cool to have a fish market in town, what everyone was really interested in were our lobster rolls and fish tacos. Over the first 10 months we added more and more seats, then finally ripped out our fish case and turned the whole thing into a sit-down restaurant.
CM: How does the menu reflect the places you’ve called home?
JS: We source tons of oysters from New England, the same purveyors at 167 Raw in Nantucket, as well as locally. I lived in Mexico for a winter doing catering and found that seafood-centric dishes inspired by that cuisine, like our ceviche and lobster tostada, blend really well with products available on the East Coast. It’s fun to marry it all together.
CM: What prompted the move from Ansonborough to downtown?
JS: We went back and forth about moving to a bigger location because it was such a part of the culture that everyone was squeezed in. When we decided to move forward with 193 King, architect Dan Sweeney and I worked to preserve the character and ambiance of the historic space. People don’t have to sit elbow to elbow anymore, and a bigger kitchen has allowed us to branch out from our original five menu items.
CM: How about your other ventures?
JS: The original idea for Bar167 was to have a Mediterranean-inspired waiting area for 167 Raw around the corner. It eventually became a totally separate restaurant with its own full menu and identity. Sushi Bar will always be very special because it witnessed all of the craziness we went through in the early days. We used to throw whole yellowfin tuna over the fish case while guests were sitting a foot away. That fun environment contributed hugely to who we are as a brand.
CM: How will you celebrate 167 Raw’s 10th anniversary?
JS: We are planning to host a “white party” this July. We have a huge percentage of our original team still around, and it’s really special to see how they’ve all grown in their own ways.
