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The Ryland Inn Wine List, composed by Chef Shelton, features over 1000 selections and was recently voted The Best French Wine List of America by Restaurant Hospitality at The 8th Annual World of Wines Festival in Laguna Niguel, California.

Mr. Shelton took his degrees in molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University in 1982; was a Presidential Scholar (Gold Medal); and previously attended St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire.

Mr. Shelton is a dual citizen of France and the USA. When not cooking, Chef Shelton tends to his several acre vegetable and herb garden on the 50 acre property of The Ryland Inn, or can be found sailing his 45 foot cutter rigged yawl, Salamina along the East Coast of the US.

Despite his young age, Craig Shelton has a resume that reads like a Who's Who of the world of haute cuisine, having trained with many of the finest chefs of Europe such as Joel Rubochon named "Chef of the Century" by Gault-Millau, and Paul Haeberlin, Gaston LeNotre, et al.

He has also held important positions in many of America's top restaurants including Ma Maison (Los Angeles), La Côte Basque, Le Bernardin, The Rainbow Room, Le Chantilly, and most recently served as David Bouley's Sous-Chef for two and one half years helping Bouley to achieve its "4 Star" rating from the New York Times.

Since taking over control of The Ryland Inn in Whitehouse, New Jersey, Mr. Shelton has received a torrent of critical acclaim including the first "Extraordinary" (the suburban equivalent of 4 Stars) from the New York Times. Mr. Shelton has been selected as one of 20 chefs to appear on Public Television's T.V. Series "Great Chefs of the East." The Ryland Inn was recently rated four stars "arguably America's best Country French Restaurant" by Bob Lape of Crain's N.Y. Business Review, and selected by Gourmet Magazine as One of the Top 10 Country Restaurants in America.

Since Craig Shelton took over in 1991, The Ryland Inn has consistently received awards and excellent reviews from a variety of respected critics, associations and publications. Highlights include an "Extraordinary" rating from the New York Times, membership in the prestigious Relais & Chateaux, and top honors from Zagat's, Gourmet, The James Beard Foundation, New Jersey Monthly, Wine Spectator and more.

The following is a complete list of awards and honors received by The Ryland Inn.

New Jersey Monthly, First Hall of Fame
Craig Shelton Hall of Fame 2006

New Jersey Monthly, Reader's Choice Poll. 2006
Ryland Inn is the #1 Critics Choice “BEST OF THE BEST for all New Jersey”,
“BEST FRENCH RESTAURANT for all New Jersey”, “BEST FORMAL RESTAURANT for all New Jersey”.

New Jersey Monthly, BEST OF THE BEST ISSUE. 2006
CRAIG SHELTON “BEST CHEF IN ALL NEW JERSEY”.

GQ Magazine, ”#1 TOP TABLE IN USA for 2004”, December 2003

“Eat America”, International restaurant critic Alan Richman
Names Ryland Inn as #1 Top Table in USA for 2004!

The Sunday Star-Ledger, RYLAND BISTRO GETS FOUR STARS TOO! 
The Ryland’s newly opened BISTRO and PIANO BAR gets highest marks too. September 7, 2003

The Santé Awards, CHEF OF THE YEAR-USA, 2002
Craig Shelton wins “Chef of the Year-USA”

The James Beard Foundation Awards, 2000
Craig Shelton wins “Best Chef Mid-Atlantic” Gold Medal • Click Here for Awards Website

Nation’s Restaurant News, Fine Dining Hall of Fame, May 2000
Craig Shelton inducted into the Fine Dining Hall of Fame by Nation’s Restaurant News.

America’s Elite 1000, “The Ultimate List”, Member 2000
Ryland Inn selected for inclusion. Publication is distributed to only people with an average
net worth of $10,000,000.

The New York Times, Review: "Extraordinary ****", November 5, 2000
By David Corcoran,  “Reaching For Perfection”. 
Only 12 other restaurants in the United States have achieved this distinction.

Relais & Châteaux, Relais Gourmand, 1998-2006
Craig Shelton inducted by Relais and Châteaux as a “Relais Gourmand” Chef,
one of only ten Chefs in America.

Zagat Guide, Reader’s Choice Poll, 1995-2006
#1 Restaurant in New Jersey

AAA Four Diamond Award Recipient, 1996-2006

Mobil Four Star Award Recipient, 1996-2006

DiRoNA (Distinguished Restaurants of North America) Award Recipient, 1996-2006

Gourmet, Reader’s Choice Poll, 1996-1999*
"Our Reader's Top Table" #1 Restaurant in New Jersey, "Tops for Special Occasions", "Top Food"
*Gourmet discontinued the Reader’s Poll for New Jersey Restaurants in 2000

New Jersey Monthly, Reader's Choice Poll. 1993-2005
#1 "Best of the Best" “four times the votes of the nearest runner-up”, "Best Atmosphere",
"Best Romantic Dining", "Best Wine List", "Best Service"

The James Beard Foundation Awards, 1999, 1998, 1997
Craig Shelton nominated “Best Chef Mid-Atlantic”

Wine Spectator, Annual Wine List Awards, 1994-2006
The Ryland Inn wine list, composed by Chef Shelton, wins “Best of Award of Excellence”

Philadelphia Magazine, Mid-Atlantic Travel Awards, 1999
#1 “Best Country Kitchen”

New Jersey Restaurant Association Awards, 1998
“Humanitarian of the Year Award”

Garden Design, February/March 1998
"The New Chef-Gardener"
"Alice Waters has called The Ryland Inn's vegetable and herb plot 'the best kitchen garden in America'."

New Jersey Monthly, January 1998
Dining Critics Valerie Sinclair and Anthony Giglio pick their favorite restaurants.
"The Ryland Inn is New Jersey's answer to one of the best restaurants in the world."

The Courier-News, "Eating Out", December 24, 1997
"Ryland Inn does everything right-4 Stars, Excellent”

Gourmet, October 1997
Chef Craig Shelton featured on the cover of "Gourmet" magazine.

1997 Governor Whitman Director’s Award:
Governor Christine Todd Whitman honors Craig Shelton as “the individual or institution, which has done the most to improve the image of New Jersey”.

Cervena Plates Cuisine Competition, 1996
Craig Shelton takes first prize in international cooking competition.

The Express-Times, August 1996
By Theresa Anderson. "In five years, The Ryland Inn has become one of the finest eateries in the nation."

Forbes Newspapers, March 1996
By Phyllis Reckel "A Ryland Inn dinner is one of life's little pleasures."

The New York Times, Review: "Extraordinary ****", June 11, 1995
By Fran Schumer. “When does a restaurant rate extraordinary?  When, after three or four hours, you don’t walk out of the dining room, you float”.  “Country Kitchen, City Palate--The Ryland Inn Is an Exquisite Mix”.  Only 7 other restaurants in the United States have achieved this distinction. The First and ONLY NJ Restaurant to ever get 4-Stars.

Gourmet Magazine, May 1995
By Richard Sax. The Ryland Inn named one of "The Ten Idyllic World-Class Country Dining Establishments" in an article "celebrating truly extraordinary cuisine".

The American Academy of Hospitality Sciences "5 Star Diamond Award"
Craig Shelton selected as "one of the world's best chefs"

Wine Spectator, December 15, 1993
Chef Shelton named one of "America's Eight Best Young Chefs".

Wining and Dining in New Jersey, November 1993
Anne Semmes and Valerie Sinclair, New York Times Reviewers
"New Jersey's Best Restaurant", 98/100, 4 Stars for Food.

Crain's NY Business, Star Ledger, Daily Record, The Princeton Packet,
The Asbury Park Press, Princeton Living, 1993
4 Stars All

Wines of the World Festival, Laguna Niguel, CA, October 1993
The Ryland Inn wine list, composed by Chef Shelton, wins "Number One French Wine List in America"

PBS Series “Great Chefs of the East”,
Chef Shelton named one of twenty chefs chosen east of the Mississippi to appear on PBS Series
"Great Chefs of the East"