I love cooking for the creativity, taking simple ingredients and enhancing their flavors to create a new dish.

Connections to UConn for Chef Sean Hawkins have truly come full circle.

Growing up in Mansfield, Hawkins attended Windham Tech, during which he took on internships at UConn’s South Dining Hall and Union Street Market. After graduating from Windham Tech, he enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America and completed an internship at Le Cellier Steakhouse, one of Disney World’s most-booked restaurants. After receiving his Associate of Occupational Studies in Culinary Arts in 2009 he went on to work at country clubs in Florida and Connecticut.

Sean’s first sous-chef position brought him to the Spa at Norwich Inn, named “Best Destination Spa in New England” by Yankee Magazine. He continued his passion for cooking locally, refining his skills at places like Dog Lane Café, The Whelk, a farm-to-table restaurant in Westport, and Fenton River Grill in Mansfield.

Sean returned to UConn in November 2018 and has worked as a chef at Putnam Dining Hall, Northwest Dining Hall, and the campus restaurant, Bistro On Union Street, where he helped to create the menu for Connecticut Farm-to-Chef Week featuring locally sourced ingredients.