Dave Foster

“I’m a tiger in the kitchen and a pussycat in the dining room,” says Dave Foster, the self–proclaimed “hippie pirate” who is head chef, co–owner and mascot of Foster’s, the shining new star in New Haven’s vibrant restaurant scene.Foster’s is the first restaurant that Dave can call his own — the realization of a dream that’s been percolating since the future chef was old enough to grasp a spatula.

Born in Hartford in 1962, young Dave was always drawn to the kitchen. “Ever since I was a little kid I cooked with my mother,” he recalls. Dad was a major influence, as well. “His specialty was Asian food –– on Christmas Eve he would make a 12–course Chinese banquet.”

When the family moved to Branford, Dave scored a job making pizzas at a local joint. He was only 14 & unbeknownst to his employers — yet the fit was so right that he stayed on the job for four years.

At 16, he became enamored with a classic Italian eatery called Claudio’s, located on the Branford Green. “I asked Claudio if he’d teach me to cook,” recalls Dave. “He put me to work washing dishes.”

Dave kept both jobs while dutifully attending high school. Upon graduating in 1980 he was already a restaurant veteran of sorts, and had no doubts about the path that lay ahead.

Claudio’s was sold in 1985, and Dave set off on a series of culinary adventures that spanned 10 years and took him to kitchens in Florida, Colorado and Connecticut, including Cavey’s in Manchester. “What an education that was,” says the chef. “Cavey’s got my creative juices flowing, it was where I learned to make everything by hand, from scratch — I really dug that.”

Chef Claudio was the mutual mentor that connected Dave with Gerri Iannaconne, another young chef who was part of a brand–new venture called Tre Sclini on New Haven’s historic Wooster Street.

Launched in 1995, Foster stayed with Tre Scalini for 15 years as it won multiple “best of” awards, year after year.

In 2006, Foster joined forces with Ming Lau, owner of Miso Japanese Restaurant in the Ninth Square. The partners signed a lease on a three–front space at the Chamberlain Building, which had been vacant for 18 years.

After massive installation and renovation work, much of which was performed by Foster and his crew, Foster’s had its grand opening on June 6, 2007, and New Haven was finally introduced to Chef Dave’s very own “eccentric American” cuisine.