The Port of Call and the Shipwright’s Daughter are two superb Mystic restaurants, but it might be best to not make reservations at either on June 10.

That’s the night the James Beard Foundation presents its culinary awards in Chicago ― and Port of Call executive chef Renee Touponce and Shipwright’s Daughter executive chef David Standridge will be in attendance and not in their respective southeastern Connecticut kitchens.

As announced by the Beard Foundation Wednesday, Touponce is one of four nationwide nominees in the Outstanding Chef category ― the first Connecticut chef to be on that elite list ― while Standridge is up for Best Chef: Northeast category along with four others. In January, each was named as one of 20 semi-finalists in their categories.

Along with Michelin and its stars distinction, a Beard award is one of the most esteemed accomplishments in world-wide fine dining. The Beard Foundation website says the awards honor “chefs who set high standards in their culinary skills and leadership abilities, and who are making efforts to help create a sustainable work culture in their respective regions while contributing positively to their broader community.”

“David and Renee’s advancement as James Beard finalists confirms Mystic is the top destination for quality dining in the state and possibly all of New England,” said Bruce Flax, president of the Mystic Chamber of Commerce.

Touponce, 37, couldn’t be reached to comment, but her name is increasingly prominent in culinary circles beyond New England. In 2022, the year she became executive chef at Port of Call, the Connecticut Restaurant Association named her the state’s Best Chef. Last year, she was a Beard finalist for Best Chef in the Northeast category.

After last year’s Beard nomination, Touponce, a native of Torrington who now lives in Westerly, told The Day, “I’m so thankful and I’m so proud of my team, and I’m just happy to be representing Connecticut and Mystic and the work that we all do here, and this space and everything it stands for and represents. I couldn’t be prouder, and I cannot wait to go to Chicago and be in a room surrounded by so many other talented chefs. It’s going to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I’m so thankful for.”

For Touponce, it’s been a twice-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And counting.

On Wednesday afternoon, in prep mode for the evening menu at the Shipwright’s Daughter, Standridge, 50, admitted he was aware that the Beard finalists would be announced during the day.

“Over the past few months, I’ve tried to put (the nomination) out of my mind, because everyone on the long list is really, really good, and I thought it was just an amazing honor to have been named,” Standridge said. “I was just trying to enjoy it. But I knew the announcements were today, and when my wife screamed downstairs ― in a happy way ― I thought, well, it really happened. We made it to the next step.”

Standridge is a New Jersey native who started cooking on in an amusement park snack shop and, over two decades, worked his way up in a series of established New York City restaurants like Market Table, Cafe Clover and L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon. He moved to southeastern Connecticut and opened the Shipwright’s Daughter in 2019.

Reflecting on his and Touponce’s nominations, he said, “It’s crazy. I’m so proud of Renee. She does amazing work over there and I’m very happy for her. To think we have two nominations from a small town in an obscure area is an amazing story. I’m lucky to work with incredible people, and I also think this all reflects Mystic and the quality of people who live here and support the restaurant community.”

r.koster@theday.com