Sean Brock

Raised in rural Virginia, Sean Brock is a distinguished chef and restauranteur known for his involvement in the repatriation of the Southern pantry and cuisine over the past 20 years. For over a decade, he was the chef and partner of McCrady’s and McCrady’s Tavern in Charleston, South Carolina, as well as the founding chef of Husk Restaurants, located in Charleston, Nashville, Savannah & Greenville. In 2019, he laid down roots in Nashville with plans to open three ambitious and unique restaurant endeavors: Joyland, The Continental, and Audrey.

In 2020, Brock opened Joyland, the first of his solo restaurant projects, inspired by his love of cheeseburgers and Southern fried chicken. He then opened The Continental, an ode to fine dining that melds his passion for culinary history with the traditional elegance of the hotel restaurant experience. Later this year, Brock will debut his flagship restaurant, Audrey, in East Nashville. Named for his grandmother, Audrey is where he will further his life’s work of studying Southern foodways and hospitality.

Brock won the James Beard Award for Best Chef, Southeast in 2010, and is a four-time finalist for Outstanding Chef, as well as a three-time finalist for Rising Star Chef. His first cookbook, Heritage, is a New York Times Bestseller and winner of the 2015 American Cooking James Beard Award. Brock’s second book, SOUTH, was also a New York Times Best Seller and was nominated for a James Beard Award. Brock hosted season 2 of the Emmy Award-winning television show Mind of a Chef, produced by Anthony Bourdain. In 2019, Sean was featured on the popular Netflix show, Chef’s Table.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Chef Brock used his passion and skill set to start a community kitchen, which has provided over 60,000 relief meals and counting. He plans to continue this work, finding ways to feed the Nashville community in times of need.