Chef George Reis used his more than 30 years of food and beverage experience to win the title at the inaugural Alabama Seafood Cook-Off. Born in the Midwest and raised in upstate New York, Reis has an appreciation for farm fresh foods and the blending of world flavors. After living in New York, Dallas, along the Gulf Coast and Atlanta, Reis realized his dream when he moved to Birmingham and opened Ocean in March 2002. At Ocean, Reis draws upon the flavors of the world and combines them with the freshest seafood. Ocean has won several awards including consecutive AAA Four Diamond Awards 2007 – 2015 and Wine Spectator Awards 2004 – 2015.
In June 2006, he opened his second restaurant, 26, named Birmingham’s Best New Restaurant by the Birmingham News and winner of Wine Spectator Awards 2009 – 2014. In 2015, George closed 26, redesigned the restaurant and reopened it as 5 Point Public House Oyster Bar, a casual beer-centric, chef-driven-menu oyster house.
Reis has also been an active board member of the Birmingham Originals, and he sits on the boards of Urban Food Project REV Birmingham and Leadership 5 Points.