Set just behind the unspoiled, gentle dunes of south Seaside Park, N.J., Chef Mike’s ABG restaurant has an intoxicating view of the Atlantic Ocean. And no one is more captivated by it than Mike Jurusz, the fine-dining venue’s owner and namesake.

For one of the New Jersey Shore’s most popular restaurateurs and members of the local performance-boating community, giving back is a recipe for success. Photos courtesy/copyright Tim Sharkey/Sharkey Images.

“From my ‘office,” I watch boats go by all day long,” said Jurusz, a former offshore powerboat racer who’s been cooking professionally for more than 30 years and bought the waterfront restaurant 10 years ago. “Sometimes I find myself day-dreaming when I watch the performance boats—I’m a performance-boat guy at heart—going by. I get chills. I feel the need to be on the water.

“That why I have an oceanfront restaurant,” he added. “So I can look out at the water and watch the boats go by.”

Last Friday, Jurusz took delivery of his latest boat, a 2001 Baja 29’ Outlaw powered by MerCruiser 350 Magnum engines, from Campisano Marine Center in Brick, N.J. He took delivery of the 29-footer, which he’s keeping at nearby Coty Marine in Toms River under the watchful eyes of his longtime friend and New Jersey Performance Powerboat Club president Dave Patnaude.

For a closer look at the involvement of Mike Jurusz and other volunteers during last weekend’s Shore Dreams For Kids event, check out the slideshow above.

Read More: Chef Mike’s Secret Ingredients—Love And Passion

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