The most important dish at Michael’s Seafood — the seafood chowder — is highlighted prominently in a bright yellow box at the top of the menu. In the same way, the most important thing about the restaurant — the McGowan family — is pictured, framed in gold, next to the host stand, the first thing patrons see when they arrive.

The beachfront portrait is the type of beaming photo you might expect to see hanging over the mantel in a family’s home. In a way, it is. This restaurant, founded by Michael and Shelly McGowan in 1998, predates both of their sons and has served as a backdrop for their lives.

The late Michael McGowan pictured with his wife, Shelly, and their sons, Dylan and Davis. Photography courtesy of The McGowan Family

“Once we had our boys, they were part of the daily grind with us,” Shelly recalls. “Not only them, but the other young families that worked at the restaurant. I have great memories of setting up video games and having dance parties and movie nights for all the kids at the restaurant while the parents were working.”

To a casual observer — say, one of the countless tourists who have driven five minutes up the road from the Carolina Beach Boardwalk each summer — Michael’s Seafood might look like a typical tropical-themed restaurant. But quickly, it becomes clear there’s a deeper purpose here.

For starters, nothing on the menu is fried, a practically sacrilegious approach to seafood on this state’s coast and one that still causes the occasional diner to turn on their heels. But there’s also the black bench outside the front door, dedicated “in loving memory of Michael McGowan”; a plaque by the bathrooms honoring local soccer coaches who embody his ethos; and, on the tableside napkin dispensers, an obituary, of sorts, explaining Michael’s legacy of service.

• • •

Michael had already been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when he and Shelly met while working at a country club in Pennsylvania. At first, he thought she was “a bit too young and bossy,” she says. “We had a bit of a disagreement for a month or so, but eventually, we fell in love. It was easy to do!”

The next year, they got married on a snowy November day, holding the wedding reception at work. Two years later, they opened a restaurant on the North Carolina coast, where they hoped the salt air would be good for Michael’s health.

“I always tell people that he knew he wasn’t going to live to be an old man, so he truly experienced life the way people should,” Shelly says. “He actually taught me so much about living life to the fullest.”

Shelly McGowan’s motto is to learn something new every day, and her sons have taken that to heart. Dylan (right) worked every job in the restaurant on his way to becoming managing partner, with his younger brother, Davis, following close behind. photograph by Matt Ray Photography

When Michael’s Seafood first opened in a much smaller storefront, the kitchen lacked a deep fryer. That didn’t bother Michael — he embraced it. The McGowans’ eldest son, Dylan, recalls that his dad was health-conscious, down to the food he served in the restaurant. “He already had a strong belief of not dunking a fish in a fryer and taking away the taste of it,” Dylan says. “It was something that made us stand out.”

Instead, Michael developed a seafood chowder recipe that would serve as a year-round staple to draw people in. The recipe — which includes clams, scallops, and crab meat, as well as potatoes and vegetables in a creamy base — hasn’t changed. And it’s become the restaurant’s calling card.

The rich chowder is so good that the McGowans were able to march into Newport, Rhode Island — the birthplace of chowder — and win first place in the Great Chowder Cook Off three years in a row before being retired to a newly created “Hall of Fame,” designed to give someone else a chance at the title.

The following year, 2012, Michael died due to complications from cystic fibrosis.

Vacationers who visit the restaurant can order chowder online to satisfy their cravings when they return home. Last year, the McGowans opened a production facility next door, and now, their chowder is stocked at Harris Teeter and other grocery stores, too. photograph by Matt Ray Photography

Since then, much has changed at the restaurant that bears his name. With Shelly at the helm, Michael’s Seafood underwent a significant renovation and refresh a few years later, embracing a more playful, tropical theme complete with a palm thatch “roof” over the tables. The acclaimed chowder now ships directly to customers nationwide, and it’s available at Harris Teeter and other stores. Dylan, now 23, is a managing partner in the business, having worked every station and job since he first started busing tables around age 10.

And yet Michael has remained at the heart of this place that’s been around almost as long without him.

• • •

Sitting in one of the restaurant’s booths, Dylan clasps his hands on the table in front of him. He was 10 when Michael died, but he remembers plenty about his dad: a great chef who could be stern but also fun, the face of the family’s restaurant who was well known in the community, a devoted soccer coach who loved working with kids.

More than anything, Dylan says, he wants people to know that the family is still fighting for a cure for cystic fibrosis. They host an annual golf tournament to raise money for the cause and participate in other fundraisers. The signs are all over the restaurant, including a surfboard painted with a blue “65” and surrounded by red roses. A laminated page explains that children with the disease have an easier time pronouncing “65 roses,” and the synonym stuck. Support for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation — among many other initiatives to give back — had always been one of Michael’s defining efforts, too.

Dylan originally aspired to enter the medical field to work on finding a cure himself. But as he got older, he fell in love with the restaurant and its predictable unpredictability.

As he got older, Dylan fell in love with the restaurant and its predictable unpredictability.

“My mom had really tried to push me away from it, actually,” he says. “She’s seen it for over 25 years and she’s like, ‘I know what goes into this — you do not want to do this. It’s a lot.’ But she saw for herself that I was really enjoying it and wanted to be part of it.”

Dylan is young. At least, he’s young compared to the regulars at Michael’s Seafood, who are mostly of his parents’ or grandparents’ generations. He’s young compared to the music playing, which on this day rotates between The Beatles, Phil Collins, Fleetwood Mac, and Journey. And he’s young compared to the restaurant itself.

But despite his boyish face, Dylan exudes the seriousness and confidence of a business owner. His clock ticks in time with this place. Last year, he convinced his mother to modernize and adopt a new point-of-sale system. At first wary of the kitchen, he’s now mastered every station, especially drawn to the speed and interactive nature of sauté. This is, in many ways, his house.

Walking through the restaurant’s bar area, he chats with regulars, demonstrating the kind of comfort and familiarity that’s only earned with time. One couple at the bar, Bob and Vicki Young, have watched Dylan and his brother, Davis, grow up in the space.

Having first visited the restaurant as tourists from Atlanta more than 20 years ago, the Youngs moved a few miles away and now come in a few times each week during the off-season (and a little less often when there’s a wait for tables in the summer). They’re devout fans, even though Vicki is allergic to fish.

Michael believed in letting the natural flavors of his dishes shine through, so there’s nothing fried on the restaurant’s menu. Instead, you’ll find staples like blackened fish with grits and specials that change daily. photograph by Matt Ray Photography

“The food is consistently excellent,” she says, adding that she alternates between a burger and a salad. “The staff stays the same, and they all care about our service. I would say it’s the best food on the beach, and maybe even further in.”

Her husband nods. “We’ve come to know these people,” he says. Over the years, he’s done odd jobs for the restaurant. They’re part of what Shelly calls “the Michael’s Seafood family.”

Vicki remembers when Dylan’s grandmother told her about his aspirations to run the restaurant. And she recalls, several years ago, hearing the pride in Shelly’s voice as she described how Dylan had led his first training class for new employees.

The Youngs return to Michael’s Seafood as reliably as the crowds who flock to town each summer. And despite its earthshaking loss of Michael, the McGowan family has found a way to offer consistency, too, honoring what makes the restaurant special while leaving themselves room to grow.

Michael’s Seafood
1206 North Lake Park Boulevard
Carolina Beach, NC 28428
(910) 458-7761
mikescfood.com