Rochester, New York native Joel Rissinger is totally jazzed for his first season (in his favorite state of Maine) as the new head chef at Robinson’s Wharf. The famous Southport restaurant and lobster pound kicks off its 2024 season Wednesday, March 13. 

Rissinger saw the ad for a head chef while he and his wife, Ashley Storath, were working in Vermont. The couple had spent several years traveling and working around the U.S., but really wanted to be in Maine. “I interviewed by phone first and then in person,” said Rissinger. “(Rachel) said, So you want to do this? I shot up out of my chair and said yes!”

The want ad was placed in December and 200 people responded. “It’s a unique place and we have housing available, which is huge,” said Hannah Leeman, Robinson’s office manager. “And it is a unique position. My mom, Rachel (co-manager) and I just really hit it off with Joel as soon as we got him in here.”

Rissinger’s love of the restaurant business and cooking began in his last year of high school. He apprenticed at Luciano’s, a fine dining restaurant in Rochester. For four of his six years there. he was in an apprenticeship with the head chef. “When it got busy he’d step back and say ‘Come on!’ and motion for me to take his place – and leave,” recalled Rissinger. “Some nights there would be eight to nine specials, more dishes than there were on the menu. Lots of fish dishes, a lot of cioppiono … so good.”

In 2019, he’d met Ashley and both of them wanted to travel, planning on taking seasonal jobs along the way at the same restaurant and/or resort. First stop: Maine, at Asticou Inn in Northeast Harbor, on the water. Rissinger noted the menu was similar to Robinson’s but the inn didn’t have lobstermen bringing in their catch like Robinson’s.

Next stop was as head chef at the ski resort Copper Mountain in Colorado for two seasons. “It was an all outdoor restaurant open for lunch only,” explained Rissinger. “You could get a beer, hop on the lift and drink it at the top of the mountain, then come back down and have some nachos. I wouldn’t say it was fine dining … it was fun dining.”

Rissinger then traveled on to Hawaii where he worked under an executive chef born and raised in Japan at Sensei by Nobu, an international Michelin Four Seasons resort serving Japanese dishes, in Lana’i City, Hawaii. 

“He essentially wielded a catana (a double-edged samurai sword) – for bluefish, snapper, sushi. The menu was centered around Japanese food. But we were a restaurant centered in a hotel so we had bouillabaisse, Kona lobsters ... I learned a lot about selecting the best fish for sushi, how to prepare it and serve it. The knife work was challenging. I loved the restaurant, but it was a private island and we had one beach, not much hiking ... we stayed a little under a year.”

No matter where they traveled, and Rissinger says they’ve seen a lot of the country, returning to Maine was a call left unanswered ... until that Robinson’s Wharf ad. The couple moved to Southport in January.

“Rachel got good vibes from Joel and he hit it off with our returning crew, said Hannah Leeman. “And I can honestly say I have never been so excited about an upcoming season.”

The menu, said Rissinger, is changing just a very little: The chicken broccoli alfredo is out. New: a steak taco, chicken marsala, smashburgers (two patties, but the same amount of beef), and chicken wings – buffalo or honey mustard. And the buffalo sauce will be authentic. Said Rissinger, “Real buffalo sauce has heat, but it’s more about depth of flavor.”

The rest of Robinson’s kitchen crew is returning: Sous chef DJ DeChristopher and line and prep cooks Dylan Spraque and the Texans (for a third season): Jose, Christian and Ralphie.

Said DeChristopher, in the biz for 24 years, “We are all about respect. I’ve worked with some difficult chefs over the years. It’s a really great dynamic here with the guys. Joel is young and fresh and we mesh well together.”

Other news: The seafood market is being upgraded – perhaps chowder to go, shrimp cocktails, maybe even a fondue ...

“When I meet someone with a passion for a particular line of work and am able to find a job that lets me live on the coast of Maine – that’s a big deal,” Rissenger said. “Rachel and Hannah are awesome at making you feel right at home.”

Robinson’s Wharf – where you feel right at home – reopens for the 2024 season Wednesday, March 13 and the the Murky Water Band plays March 15 from 5 to 8 p.m. Operating  hours are Tuesday – Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Closed Sunday/Monday.

Come by boat or by car to Robinson’s Wharf, just over Southport Bridge.