Celebrity Chef Will Not Re-Open Marblehead's B & B Fish This Summer

MARBLEHEAD, MA — Celebrity chef Jason Santos will not reopen his B & B Fish location in Marblehead this summer less than two years after bringing the seasonal seafood stop to the North Shore.

A spokesperson confirmed to Patch on Wednesday that the takeout spot on Pleasant Street, which Santos opened amid the COVID-19 health crisis in September 2019, will remain closed after going into "hibernation" this winter.

"The B & B Fish team has decided to focus their energy and efforts on their other restaurants that are very busy and need their attention," the spokesperson told Patch.

The spokesperson cited the high prices of seafood as a reason why "it just didn't make sense ... to reopen at this time."

Santos, who has been a sous chef on Gordon Ramsay's hit show during its 20-season run, has a flagship Buttermilk & Bourbon location on Commonwealth Avenue in Boston.

He spoke to Patch in January 2021 — while there were still capacity limits and dining restrictions — about the challenges that the pandemic posed for the hospitality industry.

"It's just slim margins in restaurants," he said. "We went from wanting to make a profit to that you just don't want to lose people. I am in business to keep my staff working and feed people. We aren't making money. That I can keep everyone employed and not lay people off is the goal now. You just want to sustain enough to cover costs."

Yet, while demand for restaurants is now back on par with pre-pandemic levels, new challenges — including staff shortages and sharp price increases — remain.

"The business has changed forever," Santos said in 2021. "They talk about things getting back to normal.

"But it's well past that now."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)