Chef/Owner of American Grocery Restaurant in Greenville, SC, Joe Clarke considers himself largely a self-trained chef; his early education coming from his Grandmother’s farm in the rolling hills of upstate South Carolina. Years before the ‘Farm to Table’ movement, it was here that Chef Joe first learned of the true flavor of the ingredients he would come to rely on upon the opening of American Grocery Restaurant in 2007.

A native of Spartanburg, SC, Joe honed his passion for cooking living in Los Angeles for twelve years studying, cooking, and even working in Chef Govind Armstrong’s famed 3-star restaurant Table 8. After a couple of years in New York and graduating with honors from the prestigious French Culinary Institute Joe was ready to bring his seasonal cuisine back to upstate South Carolina.

Joe’s approach to food is based upon fresh ingredients from a network of local farmers, treated simply, allowing the ingredient to speak for itself. Chef Joe utilizes a classic style in his American Seasonal cuisine yet looks to world flavors as inspiration to enhance his progressive southern style.