News & Weekly Events

Tuesday Sushi Night (Seasonal)

Are those chopsticks? Or are you just happy to sashimi? The fun starts at 4pm and it’s going to be soy awesome! Sushi Night is a seasonal promotion, so please call ahead to confirm.

Wednesday Seafood Boil (Seasonal)

Join us Wednesday evenings for the ultimate Seafood Boil experience! Dive into a feast of succulent snow crab legs, juicy shrimp, tender mussels, and zesty andouille sausage, complemented with warm Cajun butter and toasted baguettes to soak up the deliciousness. Enjoy a taste of Louisiana with every bite!

Guest Artists

Sharon Bass

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North Carolina artist Sharon Bass began sketching and drawing as a child in Asheville under the guiding influence of her parents. In high school, and thanks to a gifted and noble art teacher, she won a full scholarship to the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Bass expanded her knowledge of painting, photography, and graphic design and studied abroad and worked in Paris through an international exchange program.

Bass has been painting full-time since 2008. As a plein air painter, she begins her paintings on-location in the style and tradition of the Impressionists.

Jill Hunt

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Jill Hunt was born and raised in Buffalo, NY, and had a love for art from a very young age. By high school, she knew she wanted a career in the art field. Hunt went on to attend Nazareth College in Rochester as a Studio Art major with a concentration in Illustration, and Buffalo State College, where she earned a degree in Art Education. After graduating, Hunt made the move to Raleigh, NC, to start the next chapter of her life and pursue her goals. She worked as an art educator in NC for more than 20 years. During that time, Hunt also started a family and settled in Clayton, NC. In 2014, she had the opportunity to turn her focus toward her own artistic endeavors.

Hunt opened an art gallery and studio in downtown Clayton and began to exhibit and sell her art throughout the state. Shortly after, she became a resident artist of a gallery in downtown Raleigh, where she curated an exhibition space of her art for several years while continuing to teach art full-time. Hunt is proud to have exhibited in a variety of juried solo and group shows and to have earned numerous awards for her work. She now operates her business as an online shop of her art and continues to exhibit her paintings at galleries and other venues throughout NC.

About Our Team

John & Dennis Stephens

The Brothers

Moonrakers is the result of combined career experiences of John and Dennis Stephens, also known as “the brothers.” John is a forty-plus-year veteran in restaurant hospitality and operations. Dennis is an engineer and entrepreneur with his own company in design and construction. Raised in a large military family of seven children, and the sons of an Army Base Commander, both have ingrained within them a work ethic and determination that reflects a “getting the job done” approach to everything they do.

Christopher Stephens

General Manager / Executive Chef

Chris started growing his passion for food when he was 15. His career path was an easy decision when he gained early admittance to Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI on scholarship. After graduating, he relocated to the Isle of Wight, England, and spent a year apprenticing in a rigorous work environment under a Michelin star chef.

With over 22 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Chris has spent most of his time acutely focused on food and in the kitchen, assuming lead roles and executive chef positions in exclusive member clubs and restaurants throughout New England.

As a General Manager, and an avid member of the hospitality industry, Chris enjoys influencing and positively impacting guest experiences in any way he can. He wholeheartedly believes in team mentality and finds himself recounting the coined phrase “teamwork makes the dream work” on regular occasions.

While the restaurant doors are closed, Chris spends time with his beautiful wife, daughter, and dog. He takes pride in eating great food and accomplishing projects around the home.

Tommy Rouse

Assistant General Manager

Tommy joined the Moonrakers team in February of 2020. He is originally from Nash County, North Carolina. He is best known for his charming personality and contagious smile. Upon moving to Beaufort and working in the hospitality industry, he quickly developed a passion for the food and beverage industry. Tommy believes a good restaurant provides guests with an experience through not only the meals, but also the atmosphere and memories they create. When he is not taking care of our guests, Tommy is out on the water, in the sun, or having brunch with his sister planning his next travel retreat.

Jeremy Sanders

Sous Chef

The artfully placed fennel fronds on your blackened grouper? Those were a finishing touch by Jeremy. Born on an Air Force base outside of Tokyo, Jeremy and his family returned to their homebase in Carteret County when he was just 3 months. After graduating high school, he moved to Baton Rouge, where he got his first job in the kitchen at a Quiznos. Forgoing formal schooling, Jeremy chose to learn by doing, spending the subsequent 19 years working his way up in the culinary realm with a few construction gigs in the mix.

In 2018, he joined Moonrakers in its infancy, intrigued by its ingredient-driven menu and fusion of modernist and classical cooking techniques. Jeremy’s unique panache draws inspiration from his Japanese birthright, personal experiences, and training with seasoned Louisiana chefs. His catches are globally imbued with Mediterranean, Italian, and Asian roots.

Outside of Moonrakers, Jeremy is either engaged in a video game or scouring for the latest and greatest anime model kit to build. When he’s not feeding others, his go-to dish at home is blackened chicken carbonara over tri-color cheese tortellini.

Kaleb Warren

Sous Chef

Born and raised in Morehead City, Kaleb’s culinary journey begins with his mother. At an early age, she imparted onto him the most invaluable element of cooking: love. For Kaleb, there’s nothing better than seeing friends and family gathered around a table laden with dishes you’ve made, laughing, and enjoying each other’s company. His culinary career began while working as a sous chef at Carmel’s Kitchen & Bar in Asheville, NC. There, he acquired a solid foundation in classic cooking techniques, working under their chef with nearly 50 years of experience.

Kaleb returned to Carteret County to be in closer proximity to his family, joining the Moonrakers team in 2022 as a line cook. At Moonrakers, Kaleb treats every dish as an opportunity for self-expression and growth as he experiments with vibrant ingredients to create a masterpiece that is both stunning and a symphony on the palette. His dishes draw inspiration from Hispanic and Latin American cuisine, utilizing the abundance of fresh local seafood on the coast.

Outside of the kitchen, Kaleb enjoys roller skating and spending time with his wife and three cats. Looking ahead, he plans on expanding his family, intending to carry on his mother’s tradition of fostering a sense of togetherness by cooking with love.

Maddy Bonnabeaux

Social Media Strategist

Maddy was born in Raleigh and raised in Wilson, NC. After graduating from NC State, she moved to Beaufort, intrigued by its dynamic hospitality scene. Maddy strives to create a convivial environment in which guests feel like they are at home as soon as they walk through the front door. If she’s not working on an Instagram post, you can find her reading, at the gym, or watching a State game.