A seasoned chef with several accolades will soon open another restaurant in a beloved Seacoast city.
Topolino will open in Dover, New Hampshire, on March 31, offering shareable Mediterranean meals made with high-quality ingredients sourced from local farmers and fishermen.
Topolino is the latest venture from chef Evan Hennessey — a three-time “Chopped” champion and two-time James Beard Award semifinalist. Hennessey also oversees popular Dover eateries Stages at One Washington and The Living Room.
“It feels like we’ve been working on this project for a decade, and now we’re ready to open and share it with you all!!,” Hennessey wrote in a March 23 Instagram post announcing Topolino’s opening. “I can’t wait to see you all here!!”
Inspired by traditional Mediterranean cuisine and culture, Topolino is centered around bringing people together for food and conversation. The self-order restaurant boasts 72 seats in the dining room, 11 seats at the bar and a patio with outdoor seating. Guests can place orders using a QR code at their table that will be brought out by a food runner.
In addition to Mediterranean plates, Topolino will feature a curated list of cocktails. The establishment will also sell an array of regionally-made merchandise from hand-forged carbon steel knives from Vermont to sea salt harvested in Maine.
Topolino will be open five days a week from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. The restaurant will not take reservations and operate on a first-come, first-served basis.
A graduate of Le Cordon Bleu’s Atlantic Culinary Academy, Hennessey honed his craft by working alongside several renowned chefs including Charlie Palmer at New York City’s Aureole, Grant Achatz at Trio in Chicago, Andrew Carmellini at Cafe Boulud, Thomas Rice and Ken Oringer at Clio and Eli Kaimeh and Thomas Keller at Per Se.
Hennessey is a two-time James Beard Award Best Chef: Northeast semifinalist, picking up nods in 2014 and 2026. He also has three wins on Food Network’s popular cooking competition “Chopped.”
Hennessey first won “Chopped” in 2018 before returning to compete in the Season 40 “Chopped Champion” competition. The chef won the first round of the competition before he was eliminated in the finale. Hennessey most recently won “Chopped” in 2020 when he advanced past the first round of “Chopped: Beat Bobby Flay.” However, Hennessey didn’t get the chance to face Flay.
“I made it farther than I’d ever made it before in a finale like this one,” the chef told Foster’s Daily Democrat at the time. “I got to stand up and do something that’s extremely difficult and not shy away from it.”
Outside of the kitchen, Hennessey is an advocate for sustainable agriculture. He has worked with the Heirloom Harvest Project, participated in regional culinary events and recently launched his new culinary travel company Finding Tyme.
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Dining and Cooking