Christian Hayes (chef)

Christian Hayes (born March 10, 1980) is a chef and restaurateur from Portland, Maine, United States. Between 2019 and 2024, he was the owner and executive chef at The Garrison, a restaurant in Yarmouth, Maine. He was the winner of Food Network's Chopped episode "Pork on the Brain" in March 2018. Since 2009, Hayes has also co-owned, with his wife Christine, Dandelion Catering Company, which is based out of Yarmouth's Sparhawk Mill. Initially operating out of a community kitchen in Portland, it went full-time in 2013, when they moved into the historic Sparhawk Mill on the Royal River in Yarmouth. During the temporary closure of his full-service restaurant during the COVID-19 pandemic, in February 2021 Hayes switched gears and went on the offense to open his second restaurant and third enterprise, Thoroughfare, located on Yarmouth's Main Street in a landmark corner store, originally known as Andy's Handy Store (colloquially Handy Andy's), which has been a fixture of the town since the 1930s. Between 2003 and 2012, Hayes was a musician and the frontman, playing guitar and lead vocals, for the Portland-based band Sidecar Radio. They released four studio albums throughout their career, gaining commercial radio success and sharing the stage with such acts as 311, Seether, Bush, State Radio, Sick Puppies, and Mickey Avalon.