Since Clemmy’s restaurant in Waretown opened in 2023, it’s become both a dining destination and a popular, cozy spot for locals who love good food. Now, chef Allen Walski, a Surf City native, has been recognized among the best in the state with a nomination for New Jersey’s Chef of the Year.
Walski is one of eight finalists and the only Ocean County chef recognized by the New Jersey Restaurant and Hospitality Association, with the winner set to be named at an award ceremony on Thursday, Nov. 5. The nomination was “very unexpected” but especially meaningful since nominees are selected by his industry peers, Walski said.
While the BYOB restaurant has doubled in size since 2023, Walski said not much has changed besides the consistent business. His philosophy of using high-quality ingredients and “just cooking good food” is a central, unwavering facet of the restaurant. Sometimes, there’s an assumption that Clemmy’s is “fancy” or has an intimidating menu. Walski asserts that isn’t the reality.
“There are some restaurants that are very ‘tweezery’ and avant-garde and fancy pants, and we’re not that. I think our food is super approachable, and just executed properly. I think that’s where it kind of gets lost a bit – people think that we’re this fine-dining establishment, and it’s like ‘Dude, I’m serving tables in my Eagles jersey,’” Walski 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.
Clemmy’s features an ever-changing menu that prioritizes seasonal and locally sourced ingredients – seafood is secured straight from Viking Village – with a few mainstays such as its sought-after Caesar salad, Old Bay crab pasta in the summer and rigatoni Bolognese in the colder months.
“The Bolognese is always, like, my favorite thing in the world. I probably eat it every other day,” Walski said.
A few new dishes this year were particularly memorable for Walski: smoked mussels, inspired by an oyster dish he ate while on vacation, and a tuna toast with garlic aioli, Calabrian chilies and olives, which is currently on the menu.
“Anything that’s on the menu for an extended period of time is usually indicative of it being really good,” he said.
Staying inspired enough to keep up with a menu that changes weekly is sometimes challenging, but the process has become largely “ingredient-driven,” which makes planning easier, Walski said. While he can get meat any time of year, produce is more seasonally available, and seafood on the menu is “only what the boats are fishing.”
“I get produce from the co-op, and it comes in and sits on the shelves and then I come in and I’m like ‘This is what we’re gonna do with this.’ It’s very visible – if something’s staring at you in the face, it’s time to use it, because it’s here.
“I can’t necessarily conceptualize a dish just based on my mind. I can, but it’s easier when I’m looking at it, like ‘Oh yeah, we have a ton of apples. It’s apple season. Let’s pickle them, let’s puree them, let’s make reductions.’ There’s so many different things you can do with it, but until it’s here, you can’t do anything,” Walski said.
Making the menu and coming up with new dishes are not always a solo endeavor. Walski is proud to have an “incredible” team in the kitchen whom he often turns to for ideas and input, and who consistently execute top-tier food.
“I think also the guys, you know, if I don’t have an idea and I want to change something, I always ask them. I want them to be a part of it because as a cook, if you’re cooking your own dish, you’re going to cook it to the best of your ability. I always want them to come up with ideas. I think that’s boring when you’re a cook and you’re just cooking Chef’s food all the time,” Walski said.
Finding the right people for the restaurant is no small task, and having a kitchen full of talented, motivated cooks is part of the reason Clemmy’s has been so successful, he said.
“I just come up with the ideas, and I taste everything. That’s what I do. … It’s really those guys that are cooking all of it, and they’re doing an incredible job and they always have. We would not be in the position that we are without them,” Walski said.
There’s another common misconception that Clemmy’s always has a long wait, but it’s not what people make it out to be, according to Walski. The restaurant is undoubtedly busy, but sometimes, “you can just walk right in,” he said.
For those who haven’t ventured in yet, Walski has one suggestion: “Just come. There’s so many people who come for the first time that are, like, ‘Why did I wait this long?’” he said.
Clemmy’s is open Wednesday through Monday and does not take reservations. Tickets for the NJRHA Awards ceremony on Nov. 5 are available online.
