Floating Lakefront Home
Just What Restaurant Family Ordered
by Joyce Deaton

When Kay and Jim Emad went to the Charlotte boat show last winter, they were just starting to look. Owners of Bentley’s on 27, the popular fine-dining restaurant on the top floor of the Charlotte Plaza building, they work every day but Sunday. Looking for a getaway place to enjoy with their children, 12-year-old Taylor and 10-year-old Lauren, they decided a boat on Lake Norman would be perfect. They could get there quickly, enjoy all the comforts of a lakefront home, and cruise the lake, too. They’d never operated a boat, but they were up to the challenge.

That’s all they knew when they strolled into the booth of Talley’s Pier 77, where Bill and Sara Talley were showing their complete line of Regal powerboats. Except for one point of contention: Jim, who drives a red Ferrari, wanted a red one. Kay recalls with a smile, “That was not what we had in mind.” She and the kids thought white would look better on the water.

As they climbed in and out of the boats, they realized the Regal 4460 was just what they needed. A 44-foot Sport Yacht, it was big enough, with a spacious salon and galley, master bedroom and second bedroom with two separate berths, two baths and three flat-screen TVs. It was nicely finished, with solid cherry cabinetry, Corian countertops, leather-look upholstery, hardwood floors and cedar-lined closets. Topside there was a comfortable cockpit with walk-through windshield, plenty of seating and sunning space – and a gas grill. The grill struck a chord, since one distinguishing feature of their restaurant is tableside cooking with a special French mobile cooking cart. Jim could see himself cooking dinner on the 4460’s grill. Kay could see it even more clearly. “If you want the food to be good, he has to be the one to cook it,” she says with a chuckle. Always a perfectionist about food, Jim oversees cooking and service at Bentley’s, while Kay handles the special events that comprise a major part of their business.

They left the boat show proud – and somewhat surprised – owners of the 4460, and almost every Sunday since finds them at home in their getaway on Lake Norman. The whole family enjoys playing cards, tubing, cooking and just relaxing. “We’ll do a tuna carpaccio or steak on the grill – something simple,” says Jim. “We pre-cook a lot of things and take some things like shrimp cocktail, cheese and fruit to have there.”

Most Sundays you’ll also find Bill and Sarah Talley aboard. “They’ve been great to come out with us and help us learn how to operate everything,” says Kay. “We’ve really appreciated that – especially because Sunday is their day off, too.” 

Bill and Sara’s son, Billy, vice president of the dealership, routinely goes out with every new purchaser to do an introductory lesson. After that, says Sara, “With every buyer, we go out with them and explain things for as long as it takes for them to feel comfortable as the captain of that boat.” 

“Since they know it’s our first boat, I think they went overboard for us. They’ve spent a lot of time teaching us things that most people already know,” says Kay. “They’re still helping us with things like parking and navigating small areas. With a boat this size, everything can be a challenge, but it’s quite interesting to learn. Bill has even taught Taylor how to fish, and Lauren is beginning to pick it up. They’ve been great.”

No problem, says Sara. “We’ve really enjoyed it. They’re a great family, and we’ve had a lot of fun with them. We showed Jim how to use the grill, and he cooked lamb chops. The food’s been great. And you haven’t lived until you’ve been tubing behind a 44-foot cruiser.”

The Talleys have learned a lot, too, she adds. “Even though we’re in the boat business, we get busy and don’t get to spend enough time out on the water. It’s been helpful to us to get a better appreciation of how people use their boats and what makes it enjoyable for them. That helps us serve our customers better.”  

Although she and Jim knew the boat would be fun, Kay says the nicest surprise is that “once you get there you feel so calm. You’re removed from everyday life, you can just sit and enjoy the weather and conversation. I didn’t realize it would be that easy to get away and get de-stressed.” She’s found she likes to take the kids and go to the boat, even if she’s got errands to run from there. “It removes you from home, where you need to clean or whatever. It’s just a good feeling.” 

For Jim, seeing the kids take to boating has been the most fun. He’s always been the freewheeling sort with an eye to the future. Coming to Charlotte from his native Iran as an engineering student at UNCC, he worked in several restaurants and went on to manage The Fish Market and LaVecchia’s Seafood Grille before finding the perfect spot to open his own place in 2004. Looking ahead, he sees his family eventually taking their 4460 to Charleston, cruising the Intracoastal Waterway, then maybe Florida and the Bahamas. “That’s why I wanted a boat big enough to take you anywhere,” he explains. “Why not just get one that’s big enough and learn on that? For now, though, the lake’s pretty big, and it’s close to us. We can play all day and come back at night without having to drive three or four hours each way. This is great – and besides, we still have more to learn.”

“There is a lot to learn on a boat like that,” Sara agrees. “It has two engines, a generator, and all the amenities such as air conditioning, audio and video systems. We’ve shown the Emads how to handle fill-ups and the bathroom chemicals. It’s a complex machine, and they’ve been quick to learn. For us it’s been a great treat. A lot of times when you sell something, you don’t spend a lot of time with the customers, and it’s hard to see what happens after that. You don’t always see the reason for doing what you do. Seeing this family learn to enjoy their boat has been a real reward for us.”