7 Questions for Chef Sean Brock
Photo: Andrea Behrends
We chatted with Sean Brock, a Virginia native and the celebrated chef behind some of the South’s most beloved restaurants, Husk (in Nashville and Charleston) and McCrady’s (Charleston). He let us in on his passion for Southern food and what to expect in his first cookbook, Heritage, out Tuesday, Oct. 21.
1. What can readers expect with Heritage?
"What I tried to convey with this book really is my experience as a human being. As just someone trying to do something that makes them very, very happy - cooking for people, sharing food, eating food, and being passionate about food.
You know, you start off the book, and you get a glimpse of my personal life. You read about certain things that affected my life and led to my chosen career path. I think it’s a book that hopefully you’ll read, and you’ll see passion. Hopefully that will inspire people who are from all walks of life, not just cooks. It’s the idea of doing not just what makes you happy, but what’s in your blood.”
2. How has your cookbook collection influenced Heritage?
"I started really reading through 19th century and late 18th century cookbooks, and I realized they were important to the history of a place and a culture. The idea of capturing a specific moment, a mindset, an attitude, a snapshot of someone’s life, a snapshot of a culture - that convinced me to inspire other people, just like those old cookbooks inspired me.”
3. With multiple restaurants, ongoing projects, and now a book, what keeps you motivated?
"I like to focus on the idea of being a craftsman. I like the hardworking, technical, hands-on, blue-collar aspect of that. Approach each day knowing that if you do what you’re supposed to do, you’re going to learn a lot of things. So for me, just trying to take it day by day, to do the best I can and learn from my mistakes. I think that’s the role for chefs, and I think that gets lost in the glory of magazines, pictures, cookbooks, and TV shows. And you know, when it boils down to it, we’re craftsmen. We’re craftspeople. It’s the idea that we use our hands and our minds and craft something beautiful that hopefully becomes art."
4. If you could only serve one dish at Husk, what would it be?
"It depends on which Husk. I think in Charleston I would work to come up with the perfect bowl of Hoppin’ John. I think that tells a lot of stories. It teaches a lot of lessons.
I think in Nashville I would serve my mom’s chicken and dumplings. It’s just one of those dishes that I’ve been trying to master my whole life. I probably never will, but it’s once again, a dish that tells a story, of me being a child and watching my mom make that. I’ve been chasing those memories and those flavors my whole life, and I’m a 36 year old professional chef.
With food and dishes like that, questions like that, and statements like that, the most important thing to keep in mind is what does it do for the person consuming? What kind of experience does it create for them? How does it inspire them, and how does it affect them socially?”
5. What initially sparked your interest in the preservation of Southern food?
"The more I cooked and traveled, the more I discovered how diverse the South was, and how each plate had the same story that I had. The story that food belonged to a particular place - I just thought that was the most romantic and beautiful thing I’d ever heard. I’ll be chasing that for the rest of my life, trying to understand the various cuisines and cultures of the South."
6. What would be your last meal of choice?
"I would hate to just have something simple. It would be something very similar to Thanksgiving. But instead of turkey, it would be chicken and dumplings. The table would be full of vegetables, cornbread, and biscuits. And a huge bottle of Pappy Van Winkle 15 Year."
7. Where do you go to get away in Charleston?
"There are certainly places I go to get away, to relax, in Charleston. It would have to be Waccamaw Neck. I love going out there with the locals, sitting around drinking and telling jokes, the smell of dirt and vegetables, and the peace and quiet.”
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