Delaware's Matt Haley to receive James Beard Humanitarian of the Year Award

Matt Haley was working a hot, sweaty minimum-wage job on a food truck in Puerto Rico when he got a phone call telling him he will receive the 2014 James Beard Foundation Humanitarian of the Year Award at a star-studded gala this spring in New York.

"I was knee-deep in boxes and trash. It was so apropos," said Haley, owner of a dynasty of seven Sussex County seafood restaurants, who also is known for his philanthropy both in Delaware and Nepal.

Haley said he didn't seek out the award. "I had no idea this was coming. I was completely blindsided."

The prestigious Humanitarian Award is given to an individual or organization whose work in the realm of food has improved the lives of others and benefited society at large.

Past recipients have included Emeril Lagasse, actor Paul Newman, New York restaurateur Danny Meyer and the late Chicago chef Charlie Trotter.

Haley will be honored on May 5 at the James Beard Foundation Awards, a glitzy black-tie ceremony at New York's Lincoln Center honoring professionals in the food and beverage industries. Often called the "Oscars" of the culinary world, the ceremony is attended by some of the nation's most well-known and respected chefs, restaurateurs, cookbook authors and food journalists. James Beard awards are highly coveted by those in the hospitality industry.

The Humanitarian of the Year Award recipient is selected by the James Beard Foundation Awards Committee, which consists of the chairperson from each individual Awards program, members of the Foundation's Board of Trustees, and members at large.

"We are delighted to announce that Matt Haley has been selected as our 2014 Humanitarian of the Year," said Susan Ungaro, president of the James Beard Foundation. "Matt has an admirable passion for interweaving his culinary work with philanthropic initiatives."

"His efforts, both on a local and global scale, are helping to educate disadvantaged children and improve the agricultural conditions of countries around the world," she said. "His story and charity are an inspiration and we're excited to see what Matt will continue to do for the culinary world in the future."

Through his restaurants, catering business and consulting work, Haley employs up to 1,000 people during the summers and said he generates $45 to $50 million in revenue. On Tuesday, he was still in Puerto Rico and spoke by phone. He said he took a job there to see how, and if, food workers can live on minimum wages. "You can't."

Haley isn't just passionate about the hospitality industry, he's even more passionate about his volunteer work in the community and his efforts to help people around the globe.

"It's an honor and a privilege to represent our state. This is definitely not a 'me' thing, it's a 'we' thing," Haley said of the Humanitarian Award. "This is for every Delaware chef, every Delaware restaurateur, it's for everyone in Delaware who has ever given back. The examples that I first learned in Delaware, I've just taken to the next level."

Haley, a Washington, D.C., native, said when the Beard Foundation told him he was receiving the Humanitarian Award, he thought of everyone who has helped or mentored him since he first came to Delaware in 1999. He mentions Xavier Teixido, owner of Harry's Hospitality Group, as well as Kevin Reading, who owns and runs the Abbott's Grill restaurants in Milford and Laurel.

"Xavier, I look up to him. Kevin Reading is the first guy who put his hand out to me," Haley said. "I felt like my life has come full circle."

That the James Beard Foundation is honoring a Delaware restaurant owner means a lot to the First State hospitality industry, said Carrie Leishman, president/CEO of the Delaware Restaurant Association.

"I believe Matt Haley adds great luster to the restaurant community in Delaware. He acts like a shining example for those coming up behind him," Leishman said.

"I just think it's an awesome honor for Delaware. To have anyone nominated for a James Beard, let alone win, is the crowning glory for restaurants," she said. "Those who give back to their communities, to me, that's the highest achievement anyone can receive. It's not a given. You don't have to give back to community. And Matt takes it to another level."

On Feb. 19, the James Beard Foundation will announce the 20 semifinalists for each of the restaurant and chef awards.

Over the years, several Delaware chefs and beverage professionals have made the "long list" of semifinalists, including Rehoboth Beach chefs Jay Caputo and Hari Cameron as well as Wilmington's Michael DiBianca, Patrick D'Amico and J.D. Morton. (Full disclosure: Like many journalists, I am a Mid-Atlantic regional judge for the James Beard Foundation.)

Finalists – five names per category – will be announced live on March 18 via the Foundation's Twitter feed at twitter.com/beard foundation.

Dogfish Head Brewery founder Sam Calagione has been a nominee for the Outstanding Wine, Beer, or Spirits Professional Award for several years running.

The only Delaware residents who have won Beard Awards might be Hockessin residents Kathy Brennan, a food writer and cookbook author, and her husband Michael Steinberger, a wine writer, who have each been honored in journalism categories. In 2012, Tom Douglas, who grew up in Newark and now lives in Seattle, won the James Beard Award as the country's Best Restaurateur.

Haley said he has learned empathy for others through the years. As a teenager, he said he started doing drugs and alcohol, and his behavior got him kicked out of 13 schools in 12 years, though he did graduate.

At age 30, Haley was sent to a detention center following a drug arrest. Cooking was part of his rehabilitation and the culinary arts became his salvation. His cooking talent eventually led to jobs at various restaurants and a later management position at a friend's Rehoboth Beach restaurant, The Third Edition.

His first eatery was Redfin in Bethany, renamed Bluecoast Seafood Grill in 2001. Later, he opened Fish On! in Lewes, Lupo di Mare in Rehoboth, Matt's Fish Camp in Bethany Beach, Northeast Seafood Kitchen in Ocean View, and Catch 54 and Papa Grande's, both in Fenwick Island.

In 2009, his company, SoDel Concepts, was named to the "Inc. Magazine" list as one of the fastest-growing food and beverage companies in the nation.

Haley received the 2012 Cornerstone Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Delaware Restaurant Association. The award is given to a restaurant, hospitality business or individual whose hard work, dedication and creativity added luster and prestige to the hospitality industry in Delaware.

Haley began helping disadvantaged Nepali youth and paying for their schooling after hearing about the plight of two sisters while serving as a guest chef during an Atlanta fundraiser. He later expanded his work in Nepal to include building schools, providing education for orphans, paying for disabled women to attend culinary school and helping with the creation of a coffee farm.

Haley produced the PBS documentary film "Hands of Harvest," which illustrates the struggles of Mexican migrant men and women in the Eastern Shore's crabbing industry. (He also produced "Motorcycle Chang Pa," which chronicles the lives of the nomadic Chang pa tribe through the Himalayan deserts.)

In 2011, he founded the Global Delaware Fund to provide goods and services to at-risk children and children in challenging circumstances, both in Delaware and globally. It has raised more than $250,000 in charitable donations to build a school for 80 children in Nepal.

For every dollar spent abroad, the fund gives a dollar to such local associations as La Esperanza, Delaware Adolescent Program, Inc., Meals on Wheels Delaware, Children & Families First, Food Bank of Delaware, Rehoboth Summer Children's Theatre, and Children's Beach House.

Haley is working with the Delaware Restaurant Association and the Delaware Department of Corrections to develop a program that teaches culinary skills to those who have been incarcerated. In November 2013, he traveled to Nicaragua to help raise funds for the Barrio Planta Project, an education initiative aiding low-income children and adults.

His other charity work in Delaware includes hosting farm-to-tables with local farms, holding a monthly wine club at Lupo di Mare; sponsoring a surf camp organized by Surfers Healing, a foundation for children with autism; and working with the Autism Delaware organization to employ people living with autism.

Haley is speaking at the James Beard House in New York's West Village on Feb. 26 as a part of their Enlightened Eaters Program. He and his culinary team also will be cooking at the Beard House at the end of April.

He said his speech at the James Beard Awards ceremony in May will heavily focus on his appreciation and love for Delaware. "I'm so proud to represent us."

Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 or ptalorico@delaware online.com. Read her culinary blog Second Helpings at www.delaware online.com/ secondhelpings and follow her on Twitter@pattytalorico.