Jeff McInnis' culinary career truly took off in 2008 when he was selected as one of 17 chefs from across the country to appear on Top Chef: Season Five.Following the show, McInnis became the Executive Chef at gigi in Miami, where he developed an acclaimed menu that catapulted the restaurant into the limelight. In March of 2011, McInnis left his post at gigi to open Yardbird Southern Table & Bar as Chef-Partner. Since its October 2011 opening, Yardbird has received widespread media attention as a dining destination for delicious Southern fare in South Beach, as well as rave reviews from the Miami Herald, Miami New Times and South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Sean Brock first gained national attention as Executive Chef of McCrady's in Charleston, South Carolina. It was during his tenure at McCrady's that Brock was first nominated for a James Beard Award in 2008 and again in 2009. Brock eventually won the coveted award in 2010, when he was recognized as Best Chef Southeast. Beyond the James Beard Awards, Brock won Food Network's Next Great Chef episode of the Food Network Challenge, and competed against Michael Symon on Iron Chef America.� In addition to serving as Executive Chef of McCrady's, he also helms the kitchen as Executive Chef at Husk, also in Charleston and recently voted Best New Restaurant in America by Bon Appetit.
[Jeff McInnis (Yardbird, gigi, and Top Chef), and Sean Brock (Husk) recently teamed to create a 1800s inspired dining experience.The special menu included favorites from yesteryear such as: Deviled Eggs Topped with Caviar, House Made Country Ham, Charleston-Style Frogmore Stew with Three Year Old Aged Charleston Gold Rice, and Fried Yardbird with Carolina Gold Waffles and Brussels Sprouts with Crisp Green Apple, as well as pairings from America's finest wineries. I was luckily enough to interview both chefs.
This article appears in Jun 14-20, 2012.