Some words that might be used to describe the newest Maître d’ at the Fairmont Southampton, Wesley Tucker, are imaginative, fun and fresh.

Funny enough, the same words could be used to describe the latest menu at the Ocean Club, which recently opened its doors for the summer season.

After 15 years in the hospitality business, climbing his way up from being a busboy at the former Stonington Beach Hotel as a teenager, Mr Tucker is now running the Ocean Club’s dining room and terrace bar.

Last year he was assistant Maître d’ along with another employee, but the recent promotion has come as a welcome step in his career.

Mr Tucker said: “Now it’s up to me to manage the restaurant and promote and maintain our services.

“My job is to make sure it’s a successful restaurant and competitive with the other Fairmont restaurants, so it’s pretty exciting.”

Mr Tucker followed in his father’s footsteps when he ventured in the hospitality sector and said the skills and characteristics that make someone a success in this field came naturally to him.

He originally set out to pursue computer science as a career, but found he enjoyed working in the hotel and meeting people from all corners of the globe.

Since stepping into the new role, Mr Tucker has taken pride in getting involved in all areas of the restaurant business — from deciding on what to keep on the menu to the types of drinks to serve at the bar.

“Our niche is that we try to maintain that freshness, so we juice all our own juices rather than using canned or bottled products,” he said. “It gives people something unique to try when they visit the hotel.”

One of his favourites is the OC Cocktail, a blend of Tequila Silver, mint, blueberries, agave nectar and fresh watermelon juice.

“We make our watermelon juice daily so people might come down and mention they love watermelon. And my response is to show them the OC cocktail and say ‘How much more fresh can you possibly get?”

While local Bermuda favourites like a Dark’ N ’Stormy or Swizzle will always be popular drink choices, Mr Tucker said a lot of people are also open to trying something different.

Another unique drink is called the Cool Cosmo. It combines white cranberry juice, cucumber water and lime juice with gin and Cointreau into a great poolside cocktail.

He said the restaurant’s goal was to provide simple, beautiful and fresh dishes to its clientele.

But unlike other restaurants where you might be asked to come with a blazer and tie, the Ocean Club has a more laid-back approach.

In fact the restaurant’s website specifies the dress code as “from swim cover-up to seersucker”. (Seersucker is a thin cotton fabric commonly worn in spring and summer.)

Mr Tucker recommends the fresh fish entrée for dinner. Guests can choose from a host of options including local wahoo, salmon, tuna or mahi mahi and get it cooked to their liking (grilled, pan-fried or blackened). They can then pair it with their favourite side dishes like the chimichurri carrots, garlic wild mushrooms or Old Bay fries (a blend of seasonings that add local flavour and “zest” to the fried potatoes).

He also suggests the pan roasted rockfish, served Bermuda style with banana, roasted almonds and garlic butter.

For lunch, there’s a light Fuji apple salad, complete with cherry tomatoes, red onion, pistachio and feta crumble with a lemon honey mustard dressing.

While those looking for something more filling can opt for the grilled tuna club, topped with avocado, bacon, fennel slaw and chipotle mayonnaise on multi-grain bread.

Mr Tucker said feedback from guests is that the food is amazing; it’s really the ocean view that’s the biggest selling point for the place.

“People want to come and sit by the shore and see the longtails flying above their heads,” he said.

“I tell people to just come down here with their shirts and T-shirts to experience the ambience. That’s one of the best parts, they can come down as they are.

“It’s not somewhere that you have to put on a jacket and tie. You can relax and feel like you are on a staycation in Bermuda.”

To sample the new menu or see Mr Tucker in action as the new Maître d’, you can book a reservation at Ocean Club on 238-8000.