Acclaimed Southern chef Sean Brock is bringing his first Los Angeles restaurant to West Hollywood this summer. Known for his celebrated kitchens in Charleston and Nashville, Brock will open Darling, a live-fire restaurant focused on seasonal California produce, in the former Soulmate space on Robertson Boulevard. A companion cocktail bar, Bar Darling, will offer drinks and vinyl-spun tunes on a hi-fi sound system.
Brock, a major name in Southern cuisine, grew up in the Appalachian mountains of Virginia before graduating from culinary school. He rose to national prominence as executive chef of Husk in Charleston from 2010 to 2018 and was a partner at McCrady’s Restaurant. In 2010, he won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southeast, and later received another Beard Award for his cookbook Heritage, which also became a New York Times bestseller.
Following his departure from Husk, Brock launched several projects including Atlanta’s Minero in 2015, and his first solo venture, Joyland, in 2020. He’s since opened additional Nashville restaurants focused on Appalachian cuisine — including Audrey, which Eater named a Best New Restaurant in 2022.
Brock joins a growing number of out-of-state chefs setting up in Los Angeles, such as Adrian Forte (Lucia in Fairfax) and Eyal Shani (Miznon at Grand Central Market). Brock, who moved to Nashville in 2019, now splits his time between Tennessee and LA.
Darling is set to open in August, just across from Lisa Vanderpump’s Sur and the upcoming sandwich shop Something About Her, owned by Vanderpump Rules stars.
Good. But as long as they bring everyone’s dinner out at once and not like the hodgepodge way the previous restaurant liked to do it.
Sean Brock opening a spot in WeHo? That’s awesome! I love his focus on seasonal ingredients. Can’t wait to try Darling and Bar Darling when they open in August!