Lazy Lobster starts new chef, third in restaurant's history

If you’ve eaten at the Lazy Lobster since Dec. 30, chances are you’ve already been won over by Executive Chef Sebastian Villaseca.

The familiar face recently became just the third head chef in the restaurant’s 12-year history, but he’s not eager to change too much. He’s been around long enough that he knows what works at the Longboat Key staple — he started as a server running around on busy nights about six years ago. 

“I know what the customers like here because I used to serve them,” Villaseca said. “I've been here for a long time, so I know how the customers like everything and why change something that is not broken? So I'm not here to change everything because I personally love the menu.”

So while your dining experience won’t change much, you might see a new menu item crop up here and there or a new presentation on your plate, directed by a young chef eager to establish himself and keep rising in an industry that he loves. 

“I like being here, and it’s definitely a great company to work for,” Villaseca said. “Michael (Garey) and Bob (Fracaossy), both of the owners, they do a great job. They keep everyone motivated. I think we are a really good team. It’s definitely a challenge. I mean, this is a huge operation. … But ever since I went to high school, I wanted to be an executive chef.”

Villaseca, whose nickname around the restaurant is “Seabass,” has been around the industry since he was a teenager; he’s now 28.

His family moved to Bradenton from Chile when he was about 14, and he took culinary classes at Manatee Technical Institute after graduating from Bayshore High School. One of his teachers at MTI was the head chef at Euphemia Haye, so Villaseca spent time there learning the basics.

He’s been everywhere around the Sarasota area, from picking up line cook jobs to cooking for the Baltimore Orioles during spring training. About six years ago, he landed at the Lazy Lobster, first as a server, then as a bartender. 

“I've been here ever since,” Villaseca said. “It's a great company. I've been working with Michael (Garey) ever since and he taught me a lot about front-of-house. Why I think we get along so well is because we know we both love the restaurant business. I know a lot of cooks. They just like to cook but they don't know anything about front-of-house.”

He’s done it all — starting with washing the dishes and busing tables. After about four years at the Lazy Lobster as server and bartender, there was a need for a new general manager and chef at Kacey’s Seafood, which Garey and Fracalossy also own.

Villaseca was the first person Garey asked, and he accepted his ascension into the path of restaurant management. He ran the show, from the back office to the schedules of servers and how quickly food could be prepared at the busy establishment. When he came back to the Lazy Lobster, he was ready. 

“I used to be a soccer player, so now it's kind of like becoming professional, getting into the top leagues now,” Villaseca said. “I treat it almost like a sport, and that's how much I like the restaurant business. … That's the goal, to keep growing.”

As captain, he’s changing up the organization of his team a bit. He's shifted some things in the kitchen to suit his style, and he’s been incorporating specials into the menu since he started. Because he’s held every position in the restaurant business, he knows how to keep everything running smoothly from the time an order comes in until the moment a customer leaves. 

“I know how hard it is to be a dishwasher, and how hard it is also to be a head chef with the responsibility and all the stress and dealing with the employees,” Villaseca said. “At the same time I also know how hard it is to deal with customers as servers. Cooks and a lot of crews don't know about what it is to do customer service, so sometimes they might not understand what the server is saying. … We're not wasting time fighting over something. The food has to come out, the customer still has to wait and the customer doesn't know what's going on behind. … This has really helped me to just have good communication with everyone and have the plays running smooth.”

His dedication and know-how have gotten into the folks around the restaurant. They’re happy to have Seabass back and he’s happy to be there. As he gets his feet under him, he’ll start bringing back old favorites, like the flounder francaise of yesteryear. 

“I’m playing around and getting the hang of everything,” Villaseca said. “I think the main thing is just staying consistent, keeping up the good work and getting better and better.”