Mystic Restaurants Nominated For Prestigious Awards

MYSTIC, CT — The Connecticut Restaurant Association announced Thursday award winners and nominees for the 2021 CRAzies Awards Gala presented by Sysco, LLC, including restaurants in Mystic.

Each year, the CRAzies recognizes the exceptional ability and talent of Connecticut's restaurant community at this prestigious awards gala. Restaurant owners, operators, chefs, vendors and more will come together to celebrate the success of the industry at Foxwoods Resort Casino on Dec. 6.

"We are extremely excited to celebrate our industry at the 2021 CRAzies, especially at a time when Connecticut's local restaurants and caterers have been through so much, and worked so hard, over these past 19 months," said Connecticut Restaurant Association Executive Director Scott Dolch. "Congratulations to our 2021 award winners and nominees, plus a special thank you to the efforts of the nominating panel who provided valuable insight throughout the selection process."

The CRAzies selection process began earlier this week when a panel of more than 25 food writers, critics, bloggers, and social media influencers sat down to finalize the list of award winners and nominees. Restaurateur of the Year, CT Hospitality Hall of Fame, Vendor of the Year and Friend of the Industry nominees were brought to the CRA Board of Directors, where the overall winners were selected in each of these four categories.

In the remaining categories, the public can now vote by CLICKING HERE through the end of November for each category: Chef of the Year, Pastry Chef/Baker of the Year, Bartender of the Year, Server of the Year, Caterer of the Year, Restaurant Newcomer, People's Choice, Regional Restaurants of the Year and Overall Restaurant of the Year. Winners will be selected from not only the public vote, but also from our nominating panel members.

The 2021 Pastry Chef/Baker of the Year finalists are Kristin Eddy from Millwright’s (Simsbury), Chan Graham from BouNom Bakery (Avon), David Vacca from Nana’s Bakery & Pizza (Mystic) and Rob VanKeuren from Flour Water Salt Bread (Darien).

The Bartender of the Year finalists are Ryan Andrade from The White Hart Inn (Salisbury), Jade Ayala from Oyster Club (Mystic), Juan Meyer from Rosina’s (Greenwich), Khalid Williams from Taprock (Unionville).

The Restaurant Newcomer award highlights the best new restaurants in Connecticut. The 2021 finalists are Camacho Garage (New Haven), The Charles (Wethersfield), Dockside Brewery (Milford), Don Memo (Westport) and Shipwright’s Daughter (Mystic).

The final category is Restaurant of the Year, where the CRA recognizes four different regional winners, as well as an overall winner from the sixteen nominees.

The East Region (New London & Windham Counties) finalists are Oyster Club (Mystic), Stone Row Kitchen & Bar (Willimantic), TAO Asian Bistro & Lounge (Uncasville) and Tony D’s (New London).