Chef Philip Choy cooks seafood with the kind of confidence that comes from deep technical training paired with restraint. At Sagaponack, his food feels polished and intentional, but never overly complicated. Flavors stay bright. Seafood remains the focus. Dishes arrive balanced, layered, and designed to be shared across the table.
Chef Philip Choy has been part of Sagaponack since the very beginning, joining the opening team as sous chef before being promoted to Executive Chef in 2022. Since stepping into the role, he has helped shape the restaurant’s identity through a menu that blends Mediterranean seafood traditions with subtle Asian influences. He balances technical precision with a more relaxed, shareable style of dining. Beyond developing the menu, Chef Philip oversees the day-to-day rhythm of the kitchen itself, from mentoring and training staff to managing operations, inventory, and sourcing. His leadership and approach to seafood-driven cooking have helped position Sagaponack as one of Flatiron’s standout dining destinations, earning recognition from outlets including Forbes.
A graduate of Johnson & Wales, Chef Philip built his career in some of New York’s most respected kitchens. Before leading Sagaponack, he refined his craft at the Michelin-starred Dovetail and later worked under Daniel Boulud as sous chef at Boulud Sud. Those experiences shaped his approach and overall discipline, but the food at Sagaponack feels far more personal. This is a style centered around hospitality as much as technique.
Chef Philip brings fine dining experience into a space that feels energetic, welcoming, and unmistakably downtown New York. The menu moves fluidly between raw bar offerings, oysters, seafood-driven small plates, and larger dishes that blend Asian and Mediterranean influences without feeling forced or overly conceptual. His approach to seafood reflects a larger respect for ingredients and sourcing. At Sagaponack, seafood is treated carefully and thoughtfully, allowing the quality of the product to lead the experience rather than burying it beneath excess technique or presentation.
That philosophy extends beyond the kitchen through Sagaponack’s partnership with Billion Oyster Project. Oyster shells collected at the restaurant are recycled and returned to New York Harbor, where they become the base for new reef systems helping restore marine habitat across the city.
For Chef Philip, that connection between restaurant culture and harbor restoration feels natural. Oysters are not simply luxury ingredients disconnected from place. They are part of a living ecosystem that once defined New York Harbor itself.
That awareness runs through the experience at Sagaponack. The food feels rooted in care. That care translates to its ingredients, to its guests, and to the waters surrounding the city. Chef Philip’s cooking reflects that same energy: refined but approachable, ambitious without ego, and deeply connected to the idea that great seafood begins with a healthy harbor.
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A thriving reef cluster, building habitat for generations
