JAMES WAYMAN
James Wayman is Executive Chef and partner of Nana’s Bakery and Pizza, Grass & Bone Butcher Shop & Table in Mystic, CT, and a founding partner and creative director of Moromi Shoyu, a small batch fermentation company specializing in the production of koji, shoyu and miso using traditional methods. On his grandfather’s farm just outside of Greensboro, North Carolina, where he spent his childhood, James discovered his appreciation for the taste of farm grown food and his deep appreciation for the natural world. He was introduced to New England coastal cuisine while studying at Johnson & Wales in Providence, Rhode Island. Upon graduating, he was the long-time chef at Water Street Café in the historic Connecticut fishing village of Stonington. There, James cooked a menu that changed daily, with a focus on clean, simple flavors honoring the ingredients of the New England coastline. He then took the Executive Chef position at The River Tavern in Chester, CT, working alongside chef-owner Jonathan Rapp. Following his tenure in Chester, he became Executive Chef at Oyster Club in Mystic, Connecticut, a seaside town offering some of the finest bounty from farm and sea. With a focus on cooking with local ingredients, James’ cooking style is heavily influenced by other cultures and his travels through Europe, Thailand and Mexico. At Nana’s, he uses organic, naturally leavened dough for the pizza, which received accolades from Forbes and Food & Wine as among the best pizzas in the country. James also has been featured in Travel + Leisure, Saveur, The New York Times, and was named Best Chef by the Connecticut Restaurant Association. Nowadays, when not at the restaurants you’ll find James fishing and foraging for wild plants and mushrooms. At home he gardens, cooks over a wood fire and takes care of his brood of beloved chickens. Outside of the kitchen, James devotes himself to meditation and traditional Japanese martial arts.