Growing up on his grandparents’ farm in New Hampshire, Frank McClelland learned pickling, canning, bread baking and even how to make his own sorbets from fresh-fruit purees. When he wasn’t in the kitchen, legend has it that he was helping his grandfather chase down chickens in the farm’s huge coop.

From these humble and firmly planted roots, intertwined with training in the techniques of classic French cooking, McClelland grew into one of the nation’s master chefs. By the age of twenty-six, he’d already been a chef in two of the most respected local kitchens – Harvest in Cambridge and L’Espalier. He established and honed his personal style of cooking at The Country Inn of Princeton, Massachusetts, where he earned a four-star rating from The Boston Globe and was named one of the country’s best new chefs by Food & Wine.

At L’Espalier in Boston’s Back Bay, McClelland racked up awards too numerous to list here in full (but a smattering  might include Five Diamonds from AAA for 2001-2006, Boston Magazine Best of Boston awards, a Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence 2004, a coveted DiRoNA award and in 2007, after being nominated ten times, a James Beard Award for Best Chef Northeast). In 2000, McClelland opened his second restaurant, Sel de la Terre on State Street, to enthusiastic reviews, followed by another location in the Back Bay.

Today, McClelland takes a lower-key but no less vigorous approach to local and season-centric food at FRANK. With the same farmer-first philosophy and enduring commitment to credible food origin, he offers an ethical, affordable and delicious option for everyday eating. Using his lifelong relationships with trusted local New England farmers, he creates an elegant yet approachable menu to be enjoyed in his casual yet sophisticated restaurant in Beverly on the North Shore.

He lives in Essex, Massachusetts with his wife and two youngest daughters.