2 Mystic Chefs Named Semifinalists For James Beard Awards

MYSTIC, CT — Chefs from two Mystic restaurants have been named semifinalists for the prestigious James Beard Foundation awards.

In the Outstanding Chef category, Reneé Touponce of The Port of Call was named a semifinalist. In the Best Chef in the Northeast category, David Standridge of The Shipwright's Daughter was named a semifinalist.

Touponce was a finalist for the award last year and was named Chef of the Year at the Connecticut Restaurant Association's 2022 CRazies Awards.

Standridge is executive chef at The Shipwright's Daughter, a "sea to table restaurant focusing on sustainable local seafood," according to his bio. He was also nominated as Chef of the Year at the Connecticut Restaurant Association's 2022 CRazies Awards.

The other semifinalist from Connecticut this year was Coracora restaurant in West Hartford, which was named in the Outstanding Restaurant category.

The winners will be announced at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Ceremony on Monday, June 10 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

The awards were established in 1990 and "recognize exceptional talent and achievement in the culinary arts, hospitality, media, and broader food system, as well as a demonstrated commitment to racial and gender equity, community, sustainability, and a culture where all can thrive."

Nominees for the award will be announced April 3.

See a full list of the James Beard Award semifinalists here.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the chefs had been nominated. The chefs were named semifinalists for the award.