PEER RECOGNITION: The state hospitality association nominated eight. Walski cites the owner of Philadelphia restaurant Pumpkin as a mentor who taught him respect for the product is key. (Photo by Jack Reynolds)

Allen Walski, a Surf City native and owner of Clemmy’s in Waretown, has been named New Jersey’s Chef of the Year.

Walski was announced as the winner at the New Jersey Restaurant and Hospitality Association’s 41st annual awards ceremony on Thursday, Nov. 5. He was one of eight chefs from across the state nominated for the title, and the only one representing Ocean County. After the nomination, voting was open to the public; a total of more than 5,000 votes came in for the competition, according to the NJRHA, and Walski secured the most.

At the ceremony, Walski said he was “pretty shocked,” noting that he never could have expected this when he and his wife, Carolyn, opened their small, intimate BYOB in Waretown just three years ago.

“What it’s become today compared to what it was when we first opened is a testament to everybody – the people who walk through the doors, the staff, the people I get the product from,” he said.

Walski thanked his wife, family, staff and community members who voted for him, saying the support has been “insane.”

“The people, the staff – without my kitchen guys and the front of the house people, Clemmy’s is nothing. They all deserve this award just as much as I do. We’re all a team. Clemmy’s would be nothing without the people that we have,” he said.

In front of his industry peers, Walski reflected on some of his biggest influences and the lessons he’s learned over the years. He places consistent emphasis on the importance of high-quality ingredients and “knowing where your food is coming from,” a central facet of Clemmy’s regularly-changing menu and a lesson Walski said he learned from Ian Moroney, former chef and owner of Pumpkin in Philadelphia.

“One of the best things he ever taught me in terms of food is if you respect your product, it will treat you well. I try to harp on that as well with my guys in the kitchen – take care of your food, and your food will take care of you,” he said.

Clemmy’s focuses on local and seasonal ingredients – such as seafood straight off the boat from Viking Village – and the food is not “fancy,” like some may think, Walski recently told The SandPaper. The intention is always for food to be “approachable, and just executed properly,” he said.

“I want anybody to be able to come in here and eat. We’re just cooking food, and I don’t ever want to lose sight of that. We’re just cooking good food, and it’s not rocket science,” he said.

“Allen had an amazing voting turnout of local supporters who firmly believe in his skill, dedication and, most importantly, the food served at Clemmy’s,” the NJRHA said in a social media post.

Clemmy’s is open Wednesday through Monday; visit clemmysrestaurant.com for more information.