Tench brings over ten years in tasting menu experience to Sean Brock’s ode to hotel dining
Ushering in a new era for The Continental, Sean Brock is thrilled to announce the hiring of Trey Tench as Chef de Cuisine, beginning this month. With years of experience in tasting menu and fine dining concepts throughout the South, Tench will continue pushing the boundaries of American cuisine through both the classic tasting menu format as well as new a la carte offerings.
Trench met Chef Brock at the beginning of his career at Charleston’s renowned McCrady’s Restaurant, the only 5-Star, 5-Diamond restaurant in the state of South Carolina at the time, working with Brock and acclaimed Chefs Daniel Heinze and John Sleasman, Moving to Nashville in 2022 and with more experience under his belt to work with Brock once again, Tench uses classic, elegant techniques with progressive ingredients to pay homage to the past while still being on the forefront of new American cuisine at The Continental.
“Trey worked closely with me at McCrady’s, and I was always so impressed with his discipline, passion, and talent for someone so young,” said Brock. “I am proud of him, and I can’t wait to create new dishes together for this next phase of The Continental.”
Following his time at McCrady’s, Tench served as the Chef de Cuisine at The Bar Willett in Bardstown, Kentucky, where he put an emphasis on creating a positive workplace environment and oversaw all aspects of the kitchen, from menu creation to team management. With a similar ethos, Tench is looking forward to leading a progressive team of fine dining connoisseurs with a common goal of being the best at what they do.
“I am extremely excited to be working at The Continental because of the all the talented chefs I’ll get to work alongside,” said Tench. “Together, the team and I will push American cuisine forward. Fine dining has always been a passion of mine and being a part of it in this space is an amazing opportunity I’m very grateful for.”
Inspired by the unique history of American restaurants and hotels throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, Chef Tench and his team will develop new dishes and service traditions guided by the creativity and spirit of this era, including innovative, seasonal cooking, and impeccable hospitality. Tench’s predecessor, Colin Shane, will remain in Brock’s family of restaurants as Chef de Cuisine of all concepts.
The restaurant will continue operating normal business hours for dinner daily, and will feature a tasting menu and a traditional dinner menu with 4 courses. For more information, visit the website or follow The Continental on Instagram. To read more about Trey’s background specifically, read his bio here.