From the Farm to the Table
McCrady’s Farm and Restaurant
A farmer by day and a chef by night – marrying fresh farm products from McCrady’s Farm with creative dishes at McCrady’s restaurant – it’s a satisfying pair for Chef Sean Brock. Brock, executive chef of McCrady’s in Charleston, SC, also works a farm on Wadmalaw Island growing fruits and vegetables, saving seeds and raising pigs.
photo: Green Olive Media
McCrady’s Farm is the only such farm in the Lowcountry with a chef operating it as a farm-to-table concept.
It’s also one of very few in the country. The nearly 3-acre farm was birthed out of a passion and frustration that was brewing inside Brock. “I love vegetables. That’s my favorite thing to cook,” says Brock. “I was getting frustrated with what was on the other end of the phone,” he continued, referring to vendors the restaurant purchased from. One of Brock’s goals was to “elevate the cuisine and make it more unique.”
Year-Round Farming
Brock farms year round, harvesting heirloom corn, turnips, onions, squash and collards among a number of other vegetables and fruits, taking a lot of the guesswork out for the chef.
“The farm writes the menu; the dirt writes the menu,” says Brock. "What we’re growing determines what’s on the menu.”
The farm yields 90 percent of the vegetables used at the restaurant.
Seed Saving
Seed saving has become a major focus for the restaurant and the farm. Through research, Brock has learned the history of agriculture in the Charleston area and discovered a variety of products that are at risk of becoming extinct.
He has turned that knowledge into a field of possibilities for other chefs and their diners. “We hope to get our seed stock up where I can give them to other farmers and then the snowball forms.”
Brock hopes this snowball becomes big enough so that the seasonal varieties will become a part of Charleston’s cuisine.
Using biodynamic methods, Brock has grown grain for seeds for two years, dedicating 30 percent of the garden to preserve
soon-to-be lost strains of South Carolina’s culinary heritage.
Three main products important to Charleston area and cuisine that are part of the seed saving project are
· The Sea Island red pea
· Farro (three varieties - McCrady’s Farm is the only farm in America growing farro bianco.)
· Jimmy Red Corn strain (or James Island red).
Brock is also saving some of the foods he used to enjoy from his grandmother’s garden. “It’s a personal thing and a Charleston thing,” says Brock. “It's such an incredible opportunity because 30 percent of our garden we’re not going to eat.”
Farm Hands
photo: Green Olive Media
Although Brock is the chief farmer maintaining the farm, it can get rather tedious and there are occasions when he needs more hands to do some planting and picking. That’s when he calls on other McCrady’s employees to get their hands dirty. Even the hostesses, managers, sommeliers and yes, the owners, are rooted in the farm. And according to Brock, “they love it.”
After seeing the effect the vegetables had on the restaurant and the menu, Brock said he knew the next step for the farm was animals. He chose pigs, using them mainly for preservation. They’re making country ham and chared meats such as sausages, salami and bacon.
Brock spends about four hours a day, five days a week at McCrady’s Farm, then another 10 hours a day at the restaurant.
He simply describes it as fun. Considering the late nights at the restaurant, working on the farm is rewarding for Brock. “To have the opportunity to spend a few hours in the morning and see sunlight, fresh air, hearing the birds sing, smelling the dirt and taking it all in is just spiritual.”
Enjoy chef’s tastings, 3-course prix fixe and seasonal menus at McCrady’s restaurant in Charleston. Find out more about McCrady’s inventive cuisine fresh from the farm here.