Title: Owner & Executive Chef
Workplace: One Coastal
Board: Council for Farm & Food in Delaware
Favorite thing about Delaware? “The untapped potential. I found the love of my life here, so I stayed. Making friends with local farmers was top priority in order to make food that tells a Delaware story, and I was fortunate enough to do so. All while raising two kids in really good public schools here.”
When it comes to the carefully crafted menus at One Coastal Restaurant in Fenwick Island, Matthew Kern’s focus on seasonal ingredients and mid-Atlantic goods is key. As owner and executive chef, Kern believes in patience and trusting his gut. Kern, a James Beard-nominated chef and avid fisherman who earned local restaurant fame at Heirloom in Lewes, purchased the farm-to-table restaurant in 2022 with his wife, Karen. Kern previously worked at Rehoboth Beach’s Salt Air and the Blue Moon. In 2024, Kern made history by being Delaware’s first and only James Beard semi-finalist.
