Chef SEan Brock
The Path
After graduation from Johnson & Wales and apprenticeships with Chefs Rick 
Tramanto, Gale Gand, Grant Achatz and Paco Roncero of La Terraza del Casino in Madrid, Chef Sean Brock began his professional career as chef tournant under Chef Robert Carter at the Mobil Four-Star/AAA Four-Diamond award-winning Peninsula Grill in Charleston, SC. After two years at Peninsula Grill, Chef Brock earned the position of executive sous chef under Chef Walter Bundy of Lemaire Restaurant at the AAA Five-Diamond Award/Mobil Five-Star Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Va. His success in Richmond led to his promotion with the elite hospitality group in 2003 to executive chef at the Hermitage Hotel in Nashville, TN. Chef Brock spent just under three years fine-tuning his craft in Nashville before accepting a position as executive chef at McCrady's Restaurant in Charleston, SC.
The Farm
Shortly after his return to Charleston, Chef Brock began the development of a farm on Wadmalaw Island. Rather than rely on others to fulfill the voluminous needs of the kitchen and the demands of an increasingly sophisticated food community, Chef Brock wanted to create a true field-to-table experience, not only for his guests, but for his staff. The McCrady's culinary, service and mangement teams work the farm together to produce 90 percent of the vegetables for the restaurant. The personal relationship to the food grown on the farm serves as inspiration for everyone working at McCrady's, from the front door to the back. Slated to be biodynamic by mid-2008, heirloom seeds from plants that are at risk of extinction are harvested from family, friends and farmers throughout the Southeast and planted with care by the same people who are preparing and serving the fruits of the collective labor to the guests.
The Balance
While a formidable student in the school of forward-thinking culinary technique and mastery of ultra-contemporary flavors, Chef Brock still finds most inspiration from the traditions of the past. His knowledge of curing meats comes courtesy of time spent with the likes of Allan Benton of Benton's Smoky Mountain Country Hams. His affection for heirloom produce spawns from memories of his family table in Virginia. Glenn Roberts (of Columbia, SC, based Anson Mills) has partnered with Chef Brock on saving the James Island Red Corn strain (a.k.a. Jimmy Red). The strain corn is at risk of extinction due, in part, to cross-pollination and previous over-harvesting of the delicate Lowcountry soil as a cash crop for ethanol.