Chef Tyler Williams Is IN at Sean Brock’s Forthcoming Husk Savannah

Tyler Williams, who made a name for himself in Atlanta leading the kitchen at the now-defunct Woodfire Grill, is in as chef de cuisine at the forthcoming Savannah outpost for iconic Southern restaurant Husk. Celebrity chef Sean Brock and The Neighborhood Dining Group plan to open Husk Savannah in December.

After his time at Woodfire Grill, Williams spent a short stint as executive chef at a pizzeria called By Hand on Lake Burton in north Georgia. More recently, he was executive chef at Tap, one of Concentrics Restaurants’s Midtown establishments.

Brock and co. also have a Greenville, S.C., outpost for Husk in the works. Jon Buck, previously of the original Husk restaurant in Charleston, has been hired as chef de cuisine. The Greenville location is scheduled to begin service in October.

“Jon and Tyler both bring immense culinary talent and a true appreciation for preserving the relationships with local farmers, the land, and the ingredients that are essential to Southern heritage,” Brock said in a prepared statement. “I am honored to be working with both chefs as we expand the Husk footprint across the South.”

Andrea Ciavardini, former general manager of The Neighborhood Dining Group’s Roswell restaurant, Chicago’s Steaks & Seafood, is on board in the same position at Husk Greenville. Christian Chapman, who previously served as GM at the company’s Minero in Charleston, is moving over to take the same gig at Husk Savannah.

Both Williams and Buck will work under the direction of Brock to “introduce the Husk concept and philosophy of sustainable and locally sourced dining and gracious hospitality in these new markets,” according a Neighborhood Dining Group press release. The chefs de cuisine will be charged with menu development and sourcing of ingredients, which will be hyper-seasonal and hyperlocal. Husk Savannah’s menu will take inspiration from the Lowcountry, but it won’t be a carbon copy of Brock’s Charleston restaurant. Husk Greenville will lean toward Appalachian fare, as opposed to that of the Georgia and South Carolina coasts.

“You know what's cool about both of these projects, is it's an opportunity to continue studying diversity in Southern cuisine,” Brock tells Eater. “And, even for someone like myself, it's fascinating to discover all these things that are just waiting to be enjoyed and celebrated. Once there are four Husks they'll all be four pretty different feels, pretty different themes.”

Brock and The Neighborhood Dining Group opened Husk Charleston in 2010, and they followed that up with a Nashville location in 2013. Despite its emergence from a single restaurant to a burgeoning Southern empire, Neighborhood Dining Group president David Howard says Husk is not a chain.

“I think we could not be more distant, in our opinion, from a chain,” Howard tells Eater. “Because each restaurant has its own tone and motivation, has its own leadership, has its own staff and is not cookie cutter. It's still known as a Husk, but each one has its own identity, and we like that.

Polished Pig Media

Polished Pig Media

Polished Pig Media

Polished Pig Media

• Husk Isn’t a Chain — But It’s Definitely Growing [E]
• Chef Sean Brock Expands Husk Empire to Greenville and Savannah [ECHS]
• All Husk Charleston Coverage [ECHS]
• All Husk Nashville Coverage [ENSH]
• All Chef Shuffles [EATL]