The Blue Canoe Team
Welcome to our kitchen table.
Owner Rich Stockwell
For Rich Stockwell, The Blue Canoe is more than a business, it’s a homecoming. In the 1990s, Rich worked as the night manager at The Anchorage under Tommy Mills, and even then, he knew he wanted to return to this historic harbor building someday. Decades later, that dream finally came full circle.
Rich’s philosophy for The Blue Canoe begins at a place close to his heart: his childhood kitchen table. Growing up, the table was the center of family life. A place where neighbors, friends, and anyone who happened to stop by were welcomed without hesitation. “The more the merrier” wasn’t just a saying in the Stockwell home; it was a way of living. Those early memories shaped Rich’s belief that good food is simply a vessel for connection, community, and shared experience.
That vision is woven into every corner of The Blue Canoe today. Whether you’re a lifelong local, a weekend visitor, or just passing through, Rich hopes you feel the same warmth and welcome that defined his family table. Because to him, this restaurant isn’t just a place to eat. It’s a place where stories are shared, friendships start, and everyone has a seat.
Executive Chef Josh Duda
Our Management Team
Sous Chef
Rylee Orlosk
Rylee brings over 10 years of culinary experience to The Blue Canoe, but what truly defines her is the energy she brings into the kitchen. She started with slinging dough in small pizza shops, to fine dining in the mountains of Colorado, to vegan cafés, and finally farm-to-table, from scratch kitchens. All while learning new things along the way and connecting with the people who make successful kitchens possible.
Every restaurant comes with its own story, and when the rare opportunity came to be apart of opening a brand-new restaurant, she was all in. For Rylee, teamwork, camaraderie, and attention to detail is the backbone of a kitchen. When she’s on the line, you’ll feel it: the music is good, the energy is high, and the quality speaks for itself.
Sous Chef
J. "Mayo"
Mayo will tell you himself that he’s hard to sum up in a paragraph—because he’s not just a chef, he’s an experience. Over the years, his craft has been shaped by time spent in kitchens across Vermont and New Hampshire. Each place, and every person he’s cooked beside, helped make him the culinary force he is today.
Mayo is deeply grateful for the mentors and teammates who’ve influenced his journey, and for the crew he works with now. As he puts it: “To all the people I work with today—I love you guys, and I’ll see you at work tomorrow.”
Music fuels his time on the line, and pride fuels his commitment to quality. He’s honored to work for an owner and chef who value what he brings to the table, and he believes everything that is accomplished in the kitchen is a team effort, never just his alone. He feels the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
General Manager
Claudia Biron
Claudia brings warmth, enthusiasm, and just the right amount of organized chaos to her role as General Manager at The Blue Canoe. She started in hospitality at 15 and has worked her way through a variety of experiences, learning along the way that great hospitality is more than service: it’s about connection, community, and making people feel at home. Her mentors taught her the importance of kindness, intention, and the little details that make a big difference, lessons she carries into every shift.
Claudia's goal is to create the kind of environment she experienced at her first “home” restaurant, where staff feel supported and valued, teamwork thrives, and guests feel welcomed back again and again. Whether she’s jumping in wherever needed or offering a steady hand on a busy night, Claudia makes sure The Blue Canoe is a place where everyone, staff and guests alike, can feel at home.
