Chris Fischer

The Path

At Babbo in Manhattan, New York, Fischer worked in a kitchen known for pace and precision, the kind of environment that tests discipline as much as technique. In 2014, he was executive chef at Beach Plum Inn & Restaurant in Menemsha, Massachusetts, a move that placed his work in a different setting and under different demands. The shift from New York City to Martha’s Vineyard marks a career shaped by varied landscapes and by the practical realities they impose on a chef. Across both stops, the thread is consistent: kitchen experience first, leadership later, with each position adding to the same steady approach.

The Work Today

“I have a very close, intimate relationship with ingredients — growing them, harvesting them, foraging for them, hunting for them.” In Fischer’s own words, the craft begins well before service, in the labor of tending, gathering, and paying attention to what is available. He has also said, “I'm a chef, but I'm also a farmer and I guess those are two titles that I've strived for for a long time and I still feel that I'm trying to figure out what they both mean but on a good day, I'm not even cooking very much.” Read together, those lines describe a working method where the field matters as much as the stove. The kitchen is still part of the job, but so are the harvest and the practical patience that lets ingredients hold their own.

Signature

Chris’s signature dishes include The Beetlebung Farm Cookbook: A Year of Cooking on Martha’s Vineyard and Bluefish Belly Crudo, Smoked Sea Salt, Lemon, and Arugula. Both names reflect the same directness that runs through his work: one tied to place and season, the other built from a compact set of elements that stay legible on the plate.

In Their Words “I'm a chef, but I'm also a farmer and I guess those are two titles that I've strived for for a long time and I still feel that I'm trying to figure out what they both mean but on a good day, I'm not even cooking very much.” “I have a very close, intimate relationship with ingredients — growing them, harvesting them, foraging for them, hunting for them.”

Acclaim

Chris’s honors include James Beard Award for American Cooking (2016) and StarChefs.com Coastal New England Rising Stars Award (2014).