THE HOT SEAT

Chef, restauranteur, and avid fisherman, Dave Snyder loves the "old school" element of cooking over an open wood fire. His recipe for Georgia Speckled Trout with Crab Scampi Butter Sauce features his love for locally sourced seafood.

Isaac Morton's passion for quality cast iron cookware led him to found Smithey Ironware Co. and his love of open fire cooking made our Kettle the perfect addition to his backyard. 

Cooking and entertaining are an integral part of this chef’s life, and he brings life to any event when he’s participating in it, especially if there’s something to be cooked over an open fire on a Sea Island Forge Kettle.

A household name on the competition BBQ circuit, Tuffy Stone has a philosophy that we can get fired up about.  “Fire has this quality about it where people as a group come together. It’s a gathering point"

I love a good instagram rabbit hole. I’m fascinated by the amazing companies and the talented people pouring their hearts into their passions. This is how we met Anya, the co-founder and owner of Belcampo Meat Company.

Jay has made a name for himself when it comes to all things sizzling on a grill. Pancakes for 30 on our griddle - no problem. The whole kitchen sink on our grill for an LSU tailgate - a breeze!

Since “going out” became “going outdoors”, our Forge Families have found themselves spending more time around the Kettle. We caught up with Nick & Beth who bought a Kettle as a housewarming present for themselves (smart!) It’s since become the centerpiece of time spent with their girls.

Based in our hometown - The Golden Isles - Chef David Carrier of Certified Burgers and Beverage is a big guy with an even bigger heart.  Along with wife, Ryanne, Dave and several other local chefs have spearheaded a program called Meals to Heal providing dinners for families of single mothers.  He shared his delicious Al Pastor Marinade with us and why he loves cooking on his kettle “It’s just the versatility...You don’t have to move: the appetizer, entree, to roasting marshmallows and sipping bourbon.” We like his style!

Ashley Christensen is that rare combo of a “people’s chef” and a “chef’s chef,” a consummate professional utilizing French and the occasional modernist technique to reinterpret the Southern classics she grew up on in North Carolina. With the opening of Poole’s Diner in 2007, she helped fuel a Raleigh, N.C. food scene, and while that flagship restaurant is still cooking on all burners, her reach has expanded through a growing number of restaurants, as well as accolades, including the James Beard Award for the Best Chef in America in 2019. Still, eat at any of her restaurants, and there isn’t the sense of the larger national conversation -- instead, Christensen’s food feels like it’s cooked just for you, which it is, of course. Her food is at once intimate and comforting, yet horizon-broadening too, so yes, she is a one special cook. 

If you know much of anything about Southern cuisine and restaurants, chances are, you know the name Rob McDaniel. He’s been nominated for numerous James Beard awards, and his long tenure at SpringHouse on Lake Martin outside of Birmingham, AL has allowed him to evolve as a chef respecting the seasons and sustenance from his home state. 

It makes all the “best in Charleston lists,” it’s probably been suggested by two or more of your friends, but chances are, even after all the build up, a visit to FIG in Charleston, SC will live up -- or surpass -- that reputation. That’s in large part because of the steady hand of Chef Jason Stanhope on the helm, a James Beard Best Chef: South winner who loves to cook and loves to build a team that excels at every aspect of a restaurant experience.

Chef Brandon Carter followed that second tide with his move to Bluffton as head of culinary operations for Palmetto Bluff, but he soon made his own name beyond the confines of the community by opening FARM Bluffton, which looks to that Lowcountry landscape for its daily menu inspiration, then melds it with imaginative preps from cultures far beyond the state.