MYSTIC, Conn. — The Shipwright's Daughter in Mystic is now home to a James Beard award-winning chef.
The restaurant's executive chef, David Standridge, was awarded "Best Chef" of the Northeast for 2024 by the James Beard Foundation. The awards ceremony was held Monday at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
"I'm beyond honored to be able to bring this award home for Connecticut," Standridge said in a statement obtained by FOX61. "Since moving here to open Shipwright's in 2019, I've been overwhelmed with the support of the community and the state! I'm so lucky to work in this amazing state among so many other talented creative chefs! I hope that this award can help support the work we are doing to promote sustainable local seafood and the small independent fisherman in the region.”
Standridge champions environmental sustainability and stewardship by incorporating local kelp, invasive species and bycatch fish in his dishes, according to the restaurant's website. He brings his experience from The Four Seasons Houston and New York City's Sonnier & Castle to New England.
The Best Chef Northeast category brings in nominees from Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.
RELATED: Palestinian DC chef and Senegalese restaurant in New Orleans win coveted James Beard Awards
A chef from another Mystic restaurant earned a nominee spot for a James Beard award this year. Renee Touponce, the executive chef at The Port of Call, was a finalist in the "Outstanding Chef presented by Hilton" category.
More than 100 restaurants were finalists across 22 categories for the culinary world’s equivalent of the Oscars with diverse range of cuisine and chef experience, a recent shift following turbulent, pandemic-era years for the James Beard Foundation. Just being a finalist can bring wide recognition and boost business.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
PREVIOUS: These are the Connecticut restaurants, chefs that are 2024 James Beard Awards semifinalists
---
Do you have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com
---
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Stream Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.
