You have to move quickly if you want to catch Mike Clark for a chat. He’s busy, after all. The New Orleans native is often found creating innovative dishes and entire menus as chef de cuisine at the Drake, one of OKC’s most popular seafood restaurants, helmed by A Good Egg Dining Group. That, and he’s also the head chef for the OKC Thunder thanks in part to their partnership with A Good Egg.
Like many talented chefs, Clark says great food – and great cooking – have been part of his life from the beginning.
“Both of my folks were really big influences on the cooking part of my life,” Clark shares. “They’re not professional chefs, but they always cooked a lot, and we ate out in New Orleans for over thirty years as a big part of our family life to experience different cultures and foods.”
Clark was working in Austin, Texas, when his wife got a job at Chesapeake Energy, now Expand Energy Corp, in 2012.
“I didn’t know about the state and just applied and started at Republic, then Cheevers Catering, then eventually became chef at the Drake,” he says. “And now I’m with the Thunder.”
Cooking for world-class NBA athletes is a balance of creativity and taste, with an emphasis on nutrition, Clark says.
“It’s been fascinating to focus so much on the nutritional side of cooking,” he shares. “It’s all about what certain foods do for your body, and at what times, such as in recovery, in mitigating injury. There’s so much to sports nutrition and it’s really cool to learn – not to mention just being around these superstar athletes and watching them grow. It’s a cool moment to realize that nutrition can help extend the longevity of the career of an athlete by eating right.”
Clark, an ambitious man, says there will always be new goals to reach. 2025, he says, is all about “taking on more responsibility by networking with other chefs in the NBA,” he says. “We’re working on a sort of chef’s summit so that we can continue to share experiences, optimize and help each other grow programs across the league.”
Back at the Drake, Clark is on a mission to help landlocked Oklahoma diners appreciate seafood.
“It’s all about incorporating ingredients that are familiar to them in the dish,” he says. “For example, you can utilize tomatoes in a chutney. Being familiar is what drives most people to try something new like seafood.”
The Drake, an OKC culinary staple, has plenty of gems on the menu.
“I like all the fresh fish options as it’s just fun to work with,” Clark says. “Fresh fish can work with any type of cuisine and it’s a worldwide resource.”
Unlike many chefs who hang up the apron when they get home, Clark enjoys cooking for his family.
“In cold weather, the go-to dish I really like is a curry, whether Thai or Indian,” he says. “It has the warmth and the spices and the flavor. I just made that the other night!”
