Delaware celebrity chef takes over Maryland restaurant kitchen, back soon on Food Network

A Delaware celebrity chef is now running a well-known Maryland restaurant once owned by his father and will soon be back competing on the Food Network.

Robbie Jester, the winner of Netflix's "Pressure Cooker'' and a competitor on the Food Network programs "Guy’s Grocery Games'' and "Beat Bobby Flay,'' took over culinary operations at Deep Blue at Kitty Knight earlier this month.

The restaurant near Galena is owned by the Jamestown Hospitality Group, which runs the Wilmington restaurants Tonic Seafood & Steak and Park Cafe, and Giordano’s in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.

Deep Blue at Kitty Knight is a historic site, with views of the Sassafras River. It is about a 20-minute drive from Middletown.

The 18th-century building, offering indoor and outdoor dining, lodging and event space, is named after Kitty Knight, a woman credited with saving part of Georgetown during the War of 1812.

Jester, a Galena native, grew up five minutes from the restaurant. He said his father owned the restaurant, then known as the Kitty Knight House in the 1980s, and sold it when Jester was about 2.

Jester said he's always been a fan of the restaurant. He held a dinner there last year shortly after "Pressure Cooker'' was released on Netflix and was named winner of the eight-episode cooking competition reality show.

Jester said he received a call from Paul Bouchard, Jamestown's chief operating officer, about five months ago. Bouchard wanted to know if Jester would consider running the culinary operations at Deep Blue at Kitty Knight which the group acquired in 2022.

Jester and Bouchard worked together previously at Piccolina Toscana in Wilmington.

"I think they really want to support the local community," Jester said, adding that Bouchard told him, "I think you'll love it down here."

Bouchard said Jester's "culinary talent, local roots, and commitment to community engagement perfectly align with our vision for Deep Blue. We look forward to collaborating with Robbie to create an unforgettable dining experience for our guests."

Jester said he plans to "highlight all the things I love about Eastern Shore food."

His role is "to coach and support" the staff and "create relationships." Jester said he plans to honor the area and bring in more produce from local farms, winemakers and artisans he has had contact with over the past 20 years.

A menu change was set for Tuesday, May 10, as Jester said he would show "more of my flair."

Diners probably won't see the shrimp scampi dish Jester made when he beat celebrity chef Bobby Flay on Flay's Food Network program. It's already on the menu of Jester's Pizzeria Mariana restaurant that he will continue to run in Newark.

However, he said he was bringing back some of his "greatest hits when I was fresh out of culinary school." Jester is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.

He also planned to make dishes his father once made at Harbour House restaurant in Chestertown, Maryland, including a honey lavender vinaigrette and crispy spinach "that people raved about." A barbecue fan, Jester said he would add more dishes for meat lovers.

Jester is scheduled to appear on the Food Network program "Chopped: Battle Italiano." He is one of four chefs competing in an episode called “Battle Italiano: Tuscany," which will focus on the food of that Italian region. The episode is scheduled to first air at 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 21.

Jester taped the series in December 2023. He said he loves the show's editing. "It's super sharp."

The chef said he couldn't discuss much of the episode.

"I'm super grateful to the community that supports me. I really feel, right now, I'm making the best food of my career," he said.

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Deep Blue at Kitty Knight has several upcoming events to formally welcome Jester including a happy hour from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 23, and a live performance by Love Seed Mama Jump at 7 p.m. June 28.

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This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware celebrity chef has a new gig and is back on the Food Network