A Boston-area chef was crowned ‘King of American Seafood’—here are their 4 Massachusetts restaurants you can visit
A Massachusetts chef just claimed one of America’s most prestigious culinary titles. If you’re craving the best of American seafood, Massachusetts is the place to be.
Chef Quang Tran, executive chef of Happy You’re Here Hospitality Group, has been crowned the 2026 King of American Seafood after defeating leading chefs from across the country at the 22nd Annual Great American Seafood Cook-Off in New Orleans.
Chef Erin Miller of Urban Hearth previously captured the title in 2022 and 2024.
This is the third time in just five years that a Massachusetts chef claimed the title as the best in American Seafood.
The King of American Seafood
Chef Chef Quang Tran earned the national title with his winning dish, “Duo of New England Lobster.”
Th duo dish included hot and cold lobster, with a tempura lobster lollipop with lime granita and citrus aioli followed by a lobster ceviche with roasted corn, yuzu, pink peppercorn, crispy sweet potato and green crab nage.
About Happy You’re Here Hospitality Group
Chef Quang Tran, executive chef of Happy You’re Here Hospitality Group. Quang Tran immigrated with his family from Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam when he was 11 years old.
Tran graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and now serves as the Executive Chef at Happy You’re Here Hospitality Group, whose Massachusetts portfolio includes:
• Shawmut Inn in Boston’s South End • Cocolee at Assembly Row in Somerville • The Club Car on Nantucket • Nantucket Tap Room
If you’re looking for the best of American seafood, you might find it at one of these spots in Massachusetts!