Daphne Bennink

Photo Credit: Daphne Bennink

NC Chef Ambassador Daphne Bennink is executive chef and owner of the Back Porch on Ocracoke Island, NC. 

Raised by French parents on Long Island, she learned about the treasures and bounty of the shore and sea. My father would take us out on the island where we would forage for mussels, long neck clams and these tiny snails that we would steam and pick the meat out with pins.   We summered on Ocracoke Island  where we dipped bluefin crabs along the seashore. Back then they were abundant. On a good day we scooped up a trash can full, then steamed them up with lots of old bay and feasted!

Alice Pipitte Spirkel, who lived with her grandparents and did all the cooking, taught young Daphne all the basics of French cooking.  By the time she was 11 years old, she could make a simple cheese soufflé or a caramel flan.  

At the Back Porch since 1998, her cooking blends traditional French technique with Southern coastal flavors, focused on seafood and local produce. Daphne actively supports local watermen, nonprofits, and sources seafood from island fishermen — including her son Dylan’s oyster, clam, and commercial fish operations, Blackbeard’s Tears.  She enjoys educating her customers about local seafood and the quality it conveys.  

“Boat to table, farm to table is a no brainer for me!”

Follow Daphne on  Instagram is @backporchocracoke & Facebook Back Porch Restaurant