Q&A: CRAZIES Nominee "Best Chef of the Year" Chef David Standridge of The Shipwright’s Daughter

Each year, the CT Restaurant Association recognizes the exceptional ability and talent of Connecticut’s restaurant community in the prestigious CRAzies awards. We are excited to showcase the nominees for 2022’s CRAZIES AWARDS “BEST CHEF OF THE YEAR” in this 5 part series. All the candidates worked incredibly hard to receive this nomination, and while many of you may know some of them, you probably don’t know all of them. We sat down with each of these talented chefs to learn a little bit more about what makes them do what they do. This week, we feature Chef David Standridge of The Shipwright’s Daughter in Mystic CT.

[Voting is still open. Vote for your favorite folks in the CT culinary industry here.]

1. When did you know you wanted to be a ‘Chef,’ and was there a particular moment or event that led to it? 

I started cooking when I was very young. I always loved cooking and being in kitchens, even when I was very young. Growing up in rural New Jersey, in the early 90’s, being a chef was not really considered a career consideration. So I went into academics studying literature and wound up a failing writer, working in restaurants in NYC. I stumbled into bartending in a really good restaurant, where I was able to see what it meant to be a “real chef.” That was Kurt Gutenbrenner’s Wallsé in the West Village. I realized then that I wanted to be in the back, cooking food. That was the turning point for me, and I decided at age 25 to go to culinary school. 

2.    If you couldn’t be a chef, what would you be passionate enough about to make a career out of and why?

To be honest, there’s nothing I’m as passionate about in terms of a career, so I don’t really want to “do” anything else. I’m particularly passionate about working on building a new, more sustainable food system, especially when it comes to seafood and other “blue foods,” and I would love to have more time to dedicate to that work outside of what I’m doing on the restaurant side. 

3. When you aren’t cooking at or for your own restaurant, what are you eating?  

At the moment, toddler food! We have two kids, ages 3 and 2, so I do a lot of cooking for them. On the rare occasions when the kids go to sleep early (and stay asleep), I’ll pillage the cupboards for any kind of hidden treasures. Mostly, I’ll whip up pasta dishes with forgotten tins of sardines. I’m a great “chef on a shoestring.”  

4. Looking back on the last year, do you have a dish that you’re most proud of that you have had on your menu? What was it, and was it a hit with your guests? 

I’m proud of so much that we’ve done at Shipwright’s Daughter, and we have an incredible team. I’m thrilled that we’re able to get unusual kinds of fish, since we’re so close to the docks. We did a seared Red Gunnard (aka Sea Robin) with green curry and pickled peaches that was really great. It’s a wonderfully sustainable fish that’s often caught as bi-catch. But we’re developing quite a following for it from many of our guests. It was a hard sell at first, so I basically took all the other fish off the menu so it was the only option, and they had to try it. Now, we sell out immediately. The staff are excited to see it, and the guests love it. 

5. In your role as the leader of your entire kitchen staff, what is the most important thing you try to teach them right away?

I teach them right away the importance of being clean and efficient. Joël Robuchon once said to us that he’d never be angry for us getting a recipe wrong, because food is so personal and it takes time to learn. But you can learn to work clean immediately, and you can’t make good food in a disorganized kitchen.

6. If you could be the Chef/Owner of any other restaurant besides your own, which restaurant would it be and why?  

I’m living my dream at Shipwright’s Daughter. I built the concept from scratch, and it’s exactly what I want it to be. I don’t really want to be a chef anywhere else, but there are a lot of chefs I admire and whom I wish I could go and work with for a time. Mena in NYC, although recently shuttered, is a big one. I never made it down, but the food Victoria Blamey was doing there seemed to be truly special, and her commitment to sustainable seafood and creating ethereal cuisine with it was inspiring. I would have loved to work in that kitchen for a spell. 

7. After your final service of the week, what is your drink of choice?  

That depends entirely on the time of year.  I generally want a beer just after service, because I’m hot from the line and need something refreshing. By the time I get home, I’m ready for a real drink with my wife, Kathleen. From Memorial day through Labor Day it’s usually a Negroni or Vesper. The rest of the year, it’s either a Rye Manhattan or Boulevardier - all great classic cocktails.