Charleston, S.C. native Sean Norton, in just three short years, has managed to make himself right at home in Nashville. He took the long way here—via Colorado—and, after a brief stint at Sambuca, arrived at Watermark two-and-a-half years ago and has been pleasing patrons there ever since.
Norton admits he’s one of the many fine Nashville chefs that learned by doing, rather than going to culinary school. He specializes in classic European cookery, especially French, but in crafting the menu at Watermark he allows traditional regional influences to slip into the gastronomic vocabulary. “By ‘classics’ I mean Old World styles—French, Italian, Spanish and the like,” says Norton. “They all deal with humble ingredients and make them something great in the process of preparation.”
If you aren’t familiar with the menu at Watermark (and you should be), you should be aware that the menu changes almost daily, based on what Norton can get fresh. It’s one of the few places in town you can get outstandingly fresh seafood delivered almost daily by Fed Ex and UPS from markets in Boston and Hawaii.
Fresh food of all varieties is crucial at Watermark, and Norton uses the Nashville Farmers’ Market and local vendors like Farmer Dave. He buys free-range meats from a cooperative in New York that in turn makes use of small cooperatives of farmers across North America. Norton tries to keep a balance between locally bought and what he has to bring in.
At the moment, he’s looking forward to the coming fall season, and the shift from summer produce to what’s found at the beginning of winter. “This is really a fun time of the year for me,” he says.
Norton loves the fact that he’s able to introduce Nashville residents who don’t spend a lot of time on the Atlantic or Pacific to the taste of truly fresh seafood. “I take pride in providing the same quality you see on the coast,” he says. As to what he hopes guests new to the restaurant will try, he says given the frequency of the menu changes, he’s always going to recommend what’s new.
“The biggest thing I want guests to do when they come to Watermark is to share our passion for what we do,” says Norton. “We’re all here because we love what we’re doing, and to get to share that daily is just great.”
Watermark
507 12th Ave. S.
(615) 254-2000