Step Inside Sean Brock’s Artful and Ambitious New Nashville Dining Destination, Audrey

Sean Brock’s long-awaited flagship restaurant Audrey has been readying to open its doors — and it’s finally happening on Friday, October 15.

Located in East Nashville’s McFerrin Park neighborhood, Audrey reflects Brock’s attention to detail at every turn. The restaurant is a tribute to and named after Brock’s maternal grandmother — who the chef credits as the biggest inspiration for his career trajectory and his cooking in general. Brock describes his grandmother as a “classic Appalachian grandmother’’ who worked as a butcher in her father’s grist mill, kept bees, always tended to a garden, and had preservers aplenty lining her basement.

His grandmother’s signature is the logo for the restaurant and every diner who walks in sees it on the door. Artwork from Brock’s personal collection and photographs as well as homey patchwork quilts are displayed on the walls. In a statement, Brock explains that the inspiration behind the art is the same as the inspiration behind the food: to take something considered “less than” and make it shine.

In other words, Brock’s personal history and interests have shaped the space — from his rural Southern heritage, his grandmother’s traditions and Appalachian cuisine, and his passion for Japanese culture. All of these things are represented in the restaurant’s upstairs bar and the distinct dining experiences offered on separate levels in the building. The first to open this weekend is the downstairs experience — a five-course seasonal menu. The second-level restaurant experience (to come sometime next year) will be a longer tasting menu-only format. The on-site Lab at Audrey, a testing ground of sorts for the restaurant, is laser-focused on using organic, biodynamic, and sustainable producers for all food and beverage.

Certainly not least, special care is being taken for Audrey to become a modern model of a restaurant with a focus on employee wellbeing, which can be seen through the implementation of paying 75 percent of employee benefits, as well as offering staff programming, higher wages, an on-site wellness room, and supporting team members’ continued education.

The chef is sharing more of the story behind Audrey on his Instagram — so follow along to see so many behind-the-scenes takes of the new restaurant. “There are two major themes behind the art I’ve chosen in Audrey, how we present it, and why. One is creating a museum-like atmosphere in the layout and size of the collection. I enjoy and want to encourage that ‘discovery’ feeling that you experience in a museum setting,” Brock says.

Discover Audrey for the first time right here: