Furneaux chef and owner Stefaan Codron said the wins at the 2019 THA and Drysdale Awards for Excellence were unexpected.

"I think for the team, it's an amazing achievement," he said.

"We were very happy after winning Best Specialty Restaurant - that was already amazing. Then, my apprentice, Jordan jumped up and he was pointing and I said, 'why are you dancing, what's going on?'

"He said, 'look at the screen.'

"Then we all had to rush up because we had won restaurant of the year - regional."

RELATED STORIES

The restaurant will now represent the state in the national awards.

"The good thing is, looking at Australia, a lot of them are metro," Codron said.

"I think we stand a chance. You never know."

He said he didn't see this as a win for just themselves.

"We see this as an award for the region we live in because at the end of the day it's the whole community that supports you," he said.

"This is a win for everybody here in St Helens."

Codron said even for their first-anniversary celebration on July 21, they aimed to give back to the community.

"Instead of saying we'd do a degustation or something like that, we had a spit roast. Half of the money went to Medea Park ... for us, that's important."

He said though the restaurant had seen successes, June and July had been tough.

"We had to sometime close the restaurant because there's nobody around," he said.

"In the end, I know that we have a destination restaurant, and that is the aim.

"We want to bring people back to St Helens, because we think it's one of the most beautiful spots in Tasmania."

Codron and co-owner and chef Jonathon Wong decided to move to the East Coast and open a restaurant after falling in love with the region.

He said they wanted to thank the team at Queechy Motel next door, who had been massive supporters of the venture.

"They've gone to all lengths to make us comfortable and to help us out," he said.

Other East Coast businesses were also recognised, including Freycinet Lodge's Hazards Bar, Freycinet Marine Farm, and Saffire Freycinet.

Premier Will Hodgman said the awards celebrated the passion of those working in the hospitality sector across the state.

"We wish the winners well in representing Tasmania at the National Awards on the Gold Coast in September."