With a passionate focus on local ingredients and a serious position on equality in the kitchen, Reneé Touponce, Chef/Owner of Oyster Club and The Port of Call, continues to raise the culinary bar in Mystic, CT and throughout New England.
Reneé’s multicultural background influences both her cuisine and view of the world. Her upbringing is a blend of Italian and Puerto Rican, with memories of rice and beans on the stove, a lasagna in the oven, and food bringing her family together. Her inventive, locally-sourced, sustainable cuisine, pays homage to the rich, coastal heritage of New England, investigating the ingredients of her region of Mystic and surrounding communities while recreating the flavors of her youth.
Reneé has a passion for whole animal butchery and charcuterie, working with small family farms, raising heritage breeds, many of which date back to the Revolutionary War. Driven by curiosity and a desire to push the boundaries, Renee has now immersed herself in applying these traditional techniques to fish.
She takes processes historically reserved for land based animals and applies them to fish: curing, dry aging, charcuterie, and utilizing what’s otherwise considered waste. Practicing zero waste and preserving what the world gives us makes her appreciate all the hands that it connects with along the way.
Reneé is the first to say that “there’s no gender in food,” but admits to a time when that wasn’t the case. As a queer woman, she believes that things are changing for the better, with the industry becoming more aware and educated. Her kitchens are healthy, equal and safe, where no one has to feel out of place, while also cooking some of the most innovative and thoughtful food in New England.
Reneé is a 2024 James Beard Award Finalist for Outstanding Chef, a 2023 James Beard Award finalist for Best Chef Northeast, and was named Chef of the Year at the Connecticut Restaurant Association’s 2022 CRazies Awards.