Oak to Ember
Waterfront dining featuring freshest products from local fishing and farming communities.
9 Rodgers St., Gloucester
978-289-5859
oaktoember.com
Tell us about how you got into this business & why (your passion)?
Oak to Ember in Gloucester was conceived by chef-owner Neal Maver, who brought experience from working in Boston (Gaslight) and being the head chef opening Tonno Gloucester and Wakefield. The concept grew out of a love for using wood grills and smokers to create different flavors that only are possible using these tools. And with the abundance of local sourced seafood and produce, along with meats from regional purveyors, allowed us to build what we think is a very diverse and difference menu.
What is the “vibe” of your venue? Typical customer?
Our restaurant is located at 9 Rogers Street, adjacent to St. Peter’s Square and on Harbor Cove, in the heart of downtown Gloucester. The restaurant lives inside a downtown building that once served as a fisherman’s union hall, later an appliance store and then a brewery. The space was redesigned and built out by local architects and contractors to offer an open-concept, airy, modern space equally suited for casual dining and formal events.
Guests have a choice of sitting in five different neighborhoods — a quiet Streetside room with booths and tables, along hi-tops and a 6-person chef’s table opposite the open kitchen, at a 23-seat curvilinear bar, in the large Harborside room with water views or seasonally on a large outdoor deck overlooking the harbor and working waterfront.
We don’t really have a typical customer. We see families with small children (so far, a 3-month old has been the youngest) and of all ages, couples for date nights, groups of friends spread around the bar and tables, locals and visitors to Gloucester. Our event bookings continue to grow each year for wedding ceremonies and receptions, local fundraising events, and a range of birthday, shower, corporate, graduation and retirement parties.
What is your favorite event/special night that everyone should know about?
The best nights to visit Oak to Ember depend on what you’re in the mood for. Monday taco night is a fun, easy way to start the week, Tuesday turns into a relaxed wine bar night often with music, and Wednesday is a local favorite with dollar wings and rotating flavors each week.
On top of that, the menu changes with the seasons and there are always fresh catches coming in from the boats, so there’s consistently something new coming out of the kitchen. Weekends are also a big draw, starting with lunches on Friday and Saturday. Sunday brunch has its own menu and has become favorite for many.
How do you see the arts community as part of your vision and/or how do you support the arts?
We have hosted artists each of our three years in business for Cape Ann Plein Air’s Palate to Palette, where an artist will set up inside and paint in real time. We also have brought artists, craftspeople and floral designers in to use the interior and outside space for pop-up sales during different seasons. Local woodworkers designed and built the chef’s table and Cornerstone Creative (Gloucester) makes our charcuterie boards.
We believe the space around our building could be more effectively used for the arts in Gloucester. A photographer who received an Awesome Gloucester grant will use the St. Peter’s Square side of our building to display large format photographs of the waterfront (planned for early summer 2026). Our location at 9 Rogers Street sees a lot of foot traffic for guests coming back and forth from the Beauport Hotel, people along Rogers Street and visitors to Gloucester’s Harborwalk. There is space on the restaurant property that could be used for public artwork display that could take advantage of this traffic. Additionally, we hope the City considers making space for artwork, perhaps sculptures, along the renovated Harborwalk directly behind our deck.
