As a child, Chef James Martin fell in love with the food and culture his family shared during trips to visit relatives in South  Carolina. Traveling to Spain as an adult, he was surprised by the similarities between the two cuisines and the wealth of shared ingredients—prepared rice dishes like Spain's paella to South Carolina’s perloo, Spanish prepared lima beans to low-country style lima beans, and Spain’s early influences on Southern agriculture and livestock, including varied grains of rice and the introduction of pork.

 

With his team, Martin explores the culinary traditions behind the cuisine, from the Moor's influence on  Spanish agriculture and dishes to the Spanish impact on low country food and agriculture. He hopes to share a bit of that culinary history with guests through each bite.

 

He owns the restaurant with his wife and partner, Jessica Neal.