Looking back on a quarter century at Wentworth Mansion
The executive chef of Wentworth Mansion’s Circa 1886 looks back on nearly a quarter century of fine dining, friendships, and the creation of the Charleston Wine + Food festival
CM: What’s the origin of Circa 1886?
MC: The name is for the year the Went-worth Mansion was built. When it was converted to a 21-room boutique inn in 2000, the carriage house was turned into a restaurant. I came to Charleston a year later, after a decade in San Antonio, Texas [where he helmed the four-star, four-diamond Polo’s at the Fairmount Hotel].
CM: How has the menu evolved?
MC: At first, I had to quickly get schooled on Southern foods, and that’s exactly what I did. We set out to be the quintessential Southern restaurant, but as time went on, that mission evolved based on trends and then my own explorations of the South and its historical food contributions. More recently, we moved to two tasting menus and a smaller à la carte menu, as this gives both the kitchen staff and our guests more room to explore our food.
CM: You cofounded Charleston Wine + Food. How did that happen?
MC: Angel Holmes, who was working at the aquarium at the time, asked me for ideas for chef-related events there. I had participated in the Texas Hill Country Food and Wine Festival and thought that we could have something like it here. She agreed and said we should reconvene in a year to talk about it. We did, and with the help of so many other amazing people throughout the city, we were able to bring it to fruition in 2006.
CM: We heard you hosted a great dinner, “Fast Foods & Fast Wines,” for this year’s fest. Tell us about it.
MC: New York Times chief wine critic Eric Asimov collaborated with our wine director to curate a lineup of wines to complement the menu: gourmet plays on fast food items like fish-and-chips, duck confit fried rice, barbecue pork, a Wagyu patty melt, and a milkshake and fries. Eric’s choices were exactly as one would expect: cold-smoked pork cheek [barbecue] with the 2022 Arnot-Roberts Syrah—spot on!
CM: What’s been your greatest accomplishment over the years?
MC: Giving back to the community that has supported Circa 1886 and its evolution. I never thought I’d be at a restaurant this long, but I’m glad I found my kitchen home. It’s not been an easy journey, but it has been rewarding, and for that, I’m grateful.
CM: Who have been your mentors?
MC: I’ve had many great mentors. I’m lucky enough to call one of those an even greater friend; Santiago De La Cruz, who I met in San Antonio, pushed me hard to be better than I was. Then, there’s my best friend, Kyle Ketchum, who was my first sous chef. I wouldn’t be where I am today without him. The beauty of having lived a while is you get to look back at where you came from and see the path more clearly that was laid out for you long ago. It truly makes you appreciate all those hard times trying to make a name for yourself.
CM: What’s in the future?
MC: Exploring food and flavors and continuing to push our boundaries to give our guests an ever-changing menu and our team the chance to take more risks so they can continue to grow.
Yum! Check out the full menu and photos from Collins’s “Fast Food & Fast Wines” dinner for Charleston Wine + Food at charlestonmag.com.
