Gan Shan Station set to close. Jettie Rae's Oyster House to take over its space

Asheville will see familiar faces pass the torch on Charlotte Street in early 2020, when Gan Shan Station chef and owner Patrick O'Cain closes his restaurant after the final service Jan. 31.

Taking over the North Asheville restaurant space at 143 Charlotte St. will be Jettie Rae’s Oyster House, a seafood concept from longtime local restaurateur Eric Scheffer and Jim Diaz, principal of CoveStar Investment Realty.

"I couldn't be happier in passing the torch to Eric, who will honor the legacy and create something even more spectacular," O'Cain said.

Gan Shan West, O'Cain's ramen-centric Haywood Road restaurant, will remain open in the Beacham’s Curve neighborhood of West Asheville with chef de cuisine Ray Hui at the helm. O’Cain will retain ownership, overseeing operations.

Scheffer and Diaz were working toward the creation of a Jettie Rae's Fish 'N Such seafood restaurant in the River Arts District, and there are still plans for that strip of land, Scheffer said. "We are maintaining control of the property, and will be coming back there with something."

Jettie Rae's Oyster House will be a full-service, more-refined version of the seafood concept, its Charlotte Street location likely to come together with fewer hiccups.

'A hard business'

O’Cain opened the creative pan-Asian Gan Shan Station in late 2014 in a rehabbed Gulf gas station. Over the years, the restaurant earned nods from Conde Nast Traveler, Bon Appetit, Wall Street Journal, Zagat and more.

Ultimately, it was O'Cain's desire for a better work-life balance that pushed him toward the decision to close the North Asheville restaurant.

"It had always been a goal of mine to open a restaurant, and I did that successfully enough to open and maintain a second," he said. "It's a hard business, and I've certainly achieved more than I set out to achieve, and now it's time to simplify and find time to pursue other interests."

More on Jettie Rae's:

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Scheffer has served as a longtime mentor and consultant since O'Cain began his career as a restaurant owner. "When I knew Patrick wanted to make change in his life, I approached him and said I might have an opportunity for both of us," Scheffer explained.

O'Cain said business at his Charlotte Street restaurant had been largely steady, though it flagged a bit in 2019. "A little bit — nothing too significant." Still, he thinks an ever-changing seasonal menu might have turned off some people who wanted the comfort of stability.

'Destined to be'

While establishing the West Asheville location, which opened in 2017, O’Cain hired on friend and former colleague Will Cisa as chef de cuisine of Gan Shan Station. Cisa has cooked at Charleston's FIG and Xiao Bao Biscuit and was the chef de cuisine at Standard Foods in Raleigh. He'll stay on board as Jettie Rae’s executive chef.

It's a perfect fit, since Cisa was born and raised in Charleston and grew up on the water, Scheffer said. “In Yiddish, we call it bashert, or destined to be. This is his wheelhouse."

Cisa will lead a menu mostly focused on seafood, though there will be burgers and fried chicken too.

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There will be lobster rolls, Louisiana barbecued shrimp, Lowcountry dishes like shrimp and grits, and grilled fresh catch of the day. The bar inside the restaurant, which will undergo some cosmetic changes to shift it from Asian upscale to comfortable coastal, will be expanded.

The patio will host crab and crawfish boils, oyster roasts and other festive seafood events. It's all part of nourishing a convivial atmosphere similar to that of Scheffer's 10-year-old restaurant, Vinnie's Neighborhood Italian.

While the restaurant will be festive and family friendly, with picnic tables and cornhole on the lawn, it will also act as a spot to hunker down over a spread of oysters shucked to order and sip a nice rosé.

Minimal changes at Gan Shan West

Scheffer will work with Island Creek Oysters for sourcing, a sustainable Duxbury Bay, Massachusetts, oyster farm favored by Thomas Keller of the French Laundry, and also Mike McCarty of The Lobster Trap. The company operates one of the only shellfish hatcheries in the Northeast and distributes shellfish from more than 100 farms.

Scheffer, who plans to see firsthand where the oysters are raised, said a Jettie Rae's-branded oyster is in the works.

Meanwhile, Gan Shan West fans should expect to see minimal changes, with a core menu of ramen, rice bowls, dumplings and wings remaining intact.

"But we'll expand the menu over there with the closure, and take popular dishes at Charlotte Street over (to West Asheville)," O'Cain said. "We're not yet at full capacity, so we have room to grow and are excited to do that."

West Asheville diners might expect to see fried rice, cabbage wraps and okonomiyaki, but O'Cain said the core menu isn't likely to push the envelope too much. "It's all accessible familiar stuff: rice bowls which people crave and ramen and Japanese fries and dumplings. For certain, we got a little esoteric with Station — which I liked."

But the focus is to foster simplicity in many areas of O'Cain's life. And in passing the torch to Scheffer, he's helping breathe new life into a favorite neighborhood spot. "Scheffer can dial into the audience, and create an experience that's really remarkable," O'Cain said.

Gan Shan Station employs about 20 people, all of whom were notified of the closure Jan. 5. The two ownership teams are working to seamlessly transition the staff into new roles at Jettie Rae's.

Gan Shan Station will operate normal business hours until Jan. 31. The space will then close for renovations and staff training. Jettie Rae’s Oyster House is slated to open sometime in April. For updates, visit jettieraes.com.

Mackensy Lunsford is an award-winning food writer, former professional line cook and one-time restaurant owner. Contact her at mlunsford@citizentimes.com.