Executive chef at Hank's strives for 'simplicity, cleanliness'

Ireland native Frank McMahon has cooked in some of the country's most celebrated restaurants.

After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in New York, he went to work at Le Bernardin under Eric Ripert and Gilbert Le Coze. He said perfecting his skills in such a restaurant set the stage for the moves that followed.

After spending time at Opus in Santa Monica, Calif., McMahon came to Charleston. He has been the executive chef of Hank's since it opened in 1999.

Q: Your parents were chefs and restaurant owners. Did you spend lots of time there as a child?

A: I spent lots of time there. After rugby practice, I was in the kitchen, skinning the fish, working, setting up. It was nice because I always had some money.

Q: Did you always know you wanted to be a chef?

A: I always asked myself what I wanted to do, but I think when you grow up in the business, it's hard to leave. I worked in hotel management for a while, but ultimately I decided to stay in the kitchen.

Q: Why did you leave Ireland?

A: I knew that I wanted to go somewhere after high school. Those were difficult days in Ireland and it was hard to make a decent living; I needed to move forward. The U.S. made the most sense because I have family here. I was fortunate to have those opportunities.

Q: You worked at one of NYC's most famous restaurants, Le Bernardin. What was that experience like?

A: That was the pinnacle for me. The simplicity, the cleanliness, the flavors. ... It's what I still strive for today. I worked with amazing people there and it was a great formative experience.

Q: How closely do you work with chef (Bob) Carter and the staff at Peninsula Grill?

A: We are separate entities, but we banter back and forth and support each other. We meet once or twice a week and talk. We have a good solid relationship.

Q: What was your vision when you opened Hank's?

A: Hank (Holliday) and Bob (Carter) were interested in opening a great, classic seafood restaurant, something they felt Charleston was missing. They asked me to create a menu and I had my own vision. I will say that we all had to compromise.

They told me that they liked my ideas, but that I had to be more representative of the Lowcountry. We worked together to create the menu that we still use today, so I would say that it has been successful.

We have figured out what works best and that is what we do.

Q: As the chef of a seafood restaurant, how concerned are you about the crisis in the Gulf?

A: It's mind boggling what's going on down there. Seafood has been a big concern of mine for a long time because of sustainability issues, but this has just taken everyone's concern to a new level.

The balance was already off, now we are facing catastrophic conditions. It is quite scary.

Q: What is your "guilty pleasure" food?

A: I'm a cheeseburger fanatic. I cannot lie. Any place that will cook it medium rare is fine by me.