Winter Hours

Serving dinner Thursday 5:30 -9:30,
Friday and Saturday 5:00-10:00

Winter hours are in effect through May 1st.

About The Dunaway

Benjamin Hasty, Executive Chef

Ben Hasty, Executive Chef, The Dunaway Restaurant at Strawbery Banke, is a rising star in the culinary scene.  From growing up on a farm in South Berwick, Maine to working under Thomas Keller at The French Laundry, Hasty is one to watch as he combines his culinary talents and deeply rooted respect for local and seasonal ingredients with the historic working kitchen gardens at Strawbery Banke.

Hasty is an extraordinary chef who comes to us from The French Laundry and Arrows Restaurant.   A native of the area, Ben’s keen talent is matched by his genuine lifelong respect for sustainable farming.  He grew up on a farm in the region, and his family even supplies the pigs we serve at The Dunaway –he’s that connected to the land, the region and this restaurant.”

BEN HASTY, EXECUTIVE CHEF
Atlantic Culinary Academy -- The French Laundry
Arrows -- The Dunaway

Life on Breezy Hill Farm
Hasty grew up in South Berwick on Breezy Hill Farm, his family’s farm.  “Living on the farm is the foundation for my culinary sensibilities” explains Hasty. “The Hasty family has been farming here in Maine since the 1600’s.  It’s what we do.”

Raw talent and an extraordinary work ethic paved the way for Hasty’s rapid pace of success.  His sheer determination was evident from an early age.  “I wanted a skateboard so I had to work for it; we didn’t have the money for things like that. I went over to Riverside Farm and picked strawberries, suckered zucchini plants (breaking off the little unnecessary branches), weeding – just about everything a 12 year old could do on a farm. I got the skateboard and I got the bug to keep on going!”    

The French Laundry
Hasty earned the coveted externship at Thomas Keller’s The French Laundry. He said his time there was a “life-changing experience.”   Keller taught Hasty “so much – especially with regard to a chef’s culinary responsibilities.”

Arrows
From The French Laundry Hasty then went to Arrows, where he learned the more refined aspects of fine dining in New England.  He was there the same time ownership was opening MC Perkins Cove, so worked at both spots.  “It was a great experience” explains Hasty.  “It definitely prepared me for how to best open The Dunaway.”

The Dunaway Restaurant at Strawbery Banke
Hasty opened The Dunaway in Fall of 2005 as a chef de partie and rose quickly through the kitchen ranks.  

As Executive Chef, Hasty plans to expand the restaurant’s outreach to local farms, working with friends and family in the region.  His style of cooking is to celebrate each ingredient with a refined focus on flavors.   “Someone had to dig up that sunchoke and care for it, so I don’t want to cover it on your plate.  I want you to taste it and enjoy it for what it is” he says.  “We are blessed in this region with our seasons and the fresh produce available; it’s what makes cooking in New England both exciting and challenging.  And especially at this restaurant, with the historic working kitchen gardens here at Strawbery Banke, we are all about fresh-from-the-farm-directly-to-your-plate.  It’s key and it’s what gets me most excited – to celebrate the fish, fowl, meats, vegetables and fruits all produced within miles of Portsmouth.  We’ve got these incredible resources, we’re going to celebrate them every day.”

Awards
“High Award of Excellence in Culinary Arts” –Atlantic Culinary Academy (top of the class)

Bronze Medal, Jeune Commis Northeast Regional Competition conducted by the Chaine Des Rotisseur 

Food Network - Iron Chef Competition:  A member of the team for Iron Chef Challenger Mary Dumont, the first executive chef of The Dunaway, fall of 2006. The show is due to air Spring/Summer 2007. 

Resume – The Timeline

The Dunaway Restaurant at Strawbery Banke, Executive Chef, 2007

The Dunaway Restaurant at Strawbery Banke, Sous Chef, 2006

The Dunaway Restaurant at Strawbery Banke,  Chef de Partie, 2005

Arrows Restaurant, Ogunquit, Maine, Chef de Partie, 2005

The French Laundry, Napa, CA,   Apprentice  2004

Atlantic Culinary Academy, Dover, NH  2003-2004

THE DUNAWAY RESTAURANT
The Dunaway Restaurant at Strawbery Banke burst onto the vibrant restaurant scene in Portsmouth, NH  in fall of 2005, earning both critical and consumer raves.  Hailed by Bon Appetit  as “One of New England’s Best New Spots” The Dunaway serves creative American cuisine in the heart of a national historic treasure.  The Dunaway quickly made its mark with lunch and dinner menus focused on fresh, local produce, including historic and rare herbs, fruits and vegetables grown at Strawbery Banke’s own working kitchen gardens.

The restaurant also features The Dunaway Bar with a handsome fireplace, comfortable seating and soft lighting.   Cocktails and cuisine are served in the Bar nightly.  The gracious Garden Patio will open as soon as Mother Nature allows.  Perfect for visiting with friends while touring Strawbery Banke, Portsmouth, or for an under-an-hour-getaway from Boston, The Dunaway is ‘worth a visit’ in any season.

Reviews/Honors

"Best of New England, New England Travel & Life Magazine, 2007"

"Editor's Choice, 2007", Yankee Magazine

The Dunaway Restaurant at Strawbery Banke is an incredibly cozy, romantic hideaway...the seasonal PERFECT 10 menu is full of creative exciting flavors, local seafood and herbs and veggies from their very own garden...PHAN-TASTIC DINING!             
Phantom Gourmet, Feb/2007

For more refined dining, head to Portsmouth, where The Dunaway Restaurant provides a casual but elegant respite...     
The Boston Globe, Oct/2006

How far is too far for a great meal? Is crossing state lines beyond reason?  Not if your destination is The Dunaway....       
Boston Magazine, May/2006

New England Cable News voted The Dunaway Restaurant a “Thumbs Up- Definitely Worth a Visit”.      
TV Diner/New England Cable News, 2006

For more information on Ben Hasty and The Dunaway Restaurant, please contact Martha Sullivan, Sullivan Communications, 508.786.0729.