Why Culinary Labels Don't Easily Capture 3-Times James Beard Nominee Brian Lewis

Forbes

06-05-2025

Brian Lewis (left) at The Cottage Westport preparing a meal with sous chef Nick Guerra. EPG Creative
Brian Lewis, a 2025 James Beard nominee for Best Chef Northeast for The Cottage restaurant he runs in Westport, Ct., says culinary labels often fall short of capturing the essence of his cooking style. He says Modern American doesn't quite apply, nor does New American and scoffs at Farm to Table, which has become a cliché. Finally, Lewis admits his style is 'European-based, a heartfelt expression of my cooking.'
But a New York Times restaurant review back in April 2016 described Lewis' cooking at The Cottage as, 'While the menu may be a bit showoffish, the food itself, a patchwork of many cultures, is expertly prepared. We didn't have any disappointments, at either dinner or brunch.'
Indeed Lewis is a three-time James Beard finalist since he was nominated for Best Chef Northeast in 2018 and again in 2022. Asked what being nominated a third time means to him, he says, 'I've been cooking since I was 14 and I'm 57-years-old now, and this award validates what I do, but I still feel as if I'm just getting started.'
Indeed he runs 4 restaurants including 2 versions of The Cottage restaurant in Westport and Greenwich, Ct., and 2 of OKO, a Japanese eatery in Westport and Rye, N.Y.
He says his cooking style relies on 'the very best seasonal ingredients, both hyper-local and supporting farmers across the country who I have worked with over the years.'
A three-time James Beard nominee, Brian Lewis is known for his eclectic cooking style and making a name for himself in suburban communities in Connecticut and Westchester.
Local Sourcing Works
Regarding local sourcing, he collaborates with Susie Flores of Stonington Kep Company and Hunter Peterson of Saugatuck Oyster Company. He buys hyper-local clams, crab, eel, snails, sugar kelp.
Some of his specialty dishes at The Cottage include: veal sweetbreads, which includes combining ingredients such as thyme, acorn, and milk (not a complete list); bread & butter de la mer, or house-made butter melting with shellfish; and millstone bacon & eggs, which pays homage to the classic bacon and egg flavor.
Lewis has a strong culinary pedigree. He was raised in Somers, N.Y., played football, but an injury led him to work at Mona Trattoria, under chef Tom Elia, in Somers. Lewis started washing dishes but soon worked his way up the chef's ladder and took pride in preparing parmigiano Reggiano.
Culinary Training Pays Off
Studying at the Culinary Institute of America and at Johnson and Wales University in hospitality management sharpened his skills. At Johnson and Wales, he learned that 'While being the artist feeds your passion, being the art dealer feeds your freedom.' Then he became the executive chef at the Bedford Post Inn in Bedford, N.Y., which was co-owned by actor Richard Gere, his then wife actress Carey Lowell and their business partner. It was a breakfast and lunch spot serving hyper-local food at night, and he was involved 'from the ground up,' planning the restaurant and menu.
Why the Suburbs Work For His Eateries
Which led Lewis to open The Cottage at the end of 2015, having bought the space from chef Bill Taibe, who ran Le Farm in that space. Since he lived in Wilton, Ct., Westport was close by and could ensure him relying on the local farms and resources of Fairfield County.
Westport also fit because it was a 'town with a clientele who would connect with my cooking and allow me the freedom to cook as if I were back in Manhattan.' He says people in Westport 'are not just looking for a meal but also a community.'
He chose Greenwich, Ct. as the second location for The Cottage, rather than Boston, which had been considered, because it enabled him to stay close and local. Brian Lewis co-owns The Cottage and OKO with Full House Hospitality and his business partner Kirk Saari.
OKO emerged from Lewis' love of Japanese culture and cuisine. Lewis admits that it was 'outside of his comfort zone,' but it has worked. OKO specializes in Japanese curated dishes such as nigiri sushi and temaki, and avoiding more Western-style maki rolls.
The name of his Japanese eatery OKO is not an acronym but stems from his then 4-year-old twins Jude and Jax. Lewis was experimenting with a savory street food dish Okonomiyaki, which nearly everyone had a hard time pronouncing. But one day, while playing, his sons exclaimed OKO and the name stuck.
The average dinner check at The Cottage is $75 per guest, and the target audience is guests from 30 years to 75 years, with a recent influx of 20-something guests, mostly post-Covid families who relocated from NYC, date nights and foodies. The Cottage Westport serves 54 people, and Cottage Greenwich, 62 total. He has a staff of 105 employees working at its 4 eateries.
But Lewis isn't done yet. He's at the outset of devising a third brand, to be located likely in Darien, Ct, or 'up Route 95,' he says, with a menu that is being developed.
If he were to win the James Beard Award in his third attempt, he says, 'It would bring me to tears. I'd be beyond grateful, and it would give us the greenlight to just keep going.'