Chef David Burke Leads By Example
David Burke has had a busy year. When Covid-19 forced the energetic celebrity chef to shutter his restaurants and furlough several hundred employees, he jumped into spearheading #FeedtheHeroes, a charitable endeavor that prepared and delivered 100,000 meals to frontline workers and charities in NJ and NY while creating jobs for furloughed employees.
That effort, along with his support of Girls Scouts of the Jersey Shore, Clean Ocean Action, and other organizations throughout the pandemic, led to Burke recently receiving Ernst and Young’s prestigious Community Impact Award and being named the organization’s Entrepreneur of the Year.
Never one to rest on his laurels, the devoted Jersey Shore native has reopened most of his 18 restaurants around the world now that restrictions have lift ed. He’s also opened four new restaurants in the Garden State during 2021. His NJ group now includes Beach Haus Tavern & Grill in Belmar (new), Belmar Kitchen (new) at Beach Haus Brewery; DRIFTHOUSE in Sea Bright; Orchard Park at the Chateau Grande Hotel in East Brunswick (new), Red Horse in Rumson (new); Son Cubano in Port Imperial/West New York, and VENTANAS Restaurant & Lounge in Fort Lee. 1776 in Morristown will open later this year.
Burke has always had a broad view of the hospitality industry and the role it can play in the local communities it serves. He’s also an enthusiastic supporter of local purveyors, such as Three Forks Greens, Nauti Spirits, and Barnegat Oyster Collective.
“We are leading by example and passion; hopefully that is contagious,” says Burke. “We are in the hospitality industry and we are hospitable. We rely on our community and if our community is healthy, our business is healthy.”
