Award-winning chef Peter Chang, who operates a network of 11 restaurants in Virginia and Maryland, is opening his first Northeast location on July 28 in Stamford.

The new Peter Chang Stamford at 230 Tresser Blvd. will specialize in the chef’s famous Szechuan dishes, including his signature specialties Dry Fried Eggplant and Crispy Pork Belly. The Stamford restaurant will seat approximately 120 and will be open every day for lunch and dinner.

Chang first made headlines when he and his family defected in 2003 while he was the chef at the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C. During the mid-2000s, Chang attracted a cult of D.C.-area food enthusiasts who tracked him as he job-hopped among the region’s Chinese restaurants. Chang’s culinary skills and elusive persona resulted in a 2010 profile in the New Yorker written by Calvin Trillin that brought national attention to his kitchen skills. Chang opened his first restaurant in 2011 in Charlottesville, Virginia.