Jeremy Sewall

Jeremy Sewall may have been born in upstate New York, but he’s had the heart of a true New Englander since his childhood summers spent in Maine with his family, feasting on lobsters, clams and other New England specialties. The water, too, plays a large role in his lineage; fishing has been a Sewall family livelihood for generations. Today, Sewall sources his fresh lobsters from cousin Mark Sewall, who captains his 38-foot boat out of York Harbor, Maine. Regardless of his original zip code, few embody New England more than Sewall.

After graduating with honors from the Culinary Institute of America, Sewall worked in kitchens around the globe from Europe to California. Not surprisingly, he began his professional career in Maine at the Relais & Chateau White Barn Inn. Wanting to spread his wings, he moved to Europe, working for Albert Roux in London and Amsterdam before returning to Boston and a position at L’Espalier. From there, he moved to the West Coast, where he was immediately recognized for his flawless technique and passion for seafood by Bradley Ogden, the owner of the Lark Creek Inn in Larkspur, California.  In 2000, as Executive Chef of Lark Creek Inn, he was one of five chefs in the country nominated as a Rising Star Chef by the James Beard Foundation.

He moved back to the Northeast in 2003 as opening Executive Chef at the Michael Schlow-owned Great Bay restaurant, where he garnered accolades from The New York Times, Esquire, Gourmet and The Boston Globe, among others.

He left Great Bay to follow the dream of opening his own restaurant. In late February 2006, Sewall and his wife Lisa, a former pastry chef at L’Espalier, opened Lineage in Brookline, Massachusetts. Their appreciation for fresh ingredients and personal approach to Modern American cuisine were integral to the menu at Lineage and the restaurant was recognized by Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, Boston Magazine and other top publications.

Building on the success of Lineage, Sewall opened Island Creek Oyster Bar in Boston’s Kenmore Square in 2010. In 2013, he and his partners opened an approachable beer and oyster bar, Row 34, in Boston’s Fort Point neighborhood to much acclaim. A second Row 34 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire soon followed, as well as a second Island Creek Oyster Bar in Burlington, MA. At the helm of the restaurants, he garnered many awards both locally and nationally – from Saveur, Zagat, Boston magazine, Bon Appetit, GQ and many more. Sewall has appeared on PBS’s hit show Simply Ming, Bravo’s Top Chef and The Food Network’s Beat Bobby Flay.

In 2021, after a successful decade in business together that gave rise to the conception of four revolutionary restaurants, Chef Sewall separated from his business partners, becoming the steward of the restaurants alongside Managing Partner Shore Gregory. The pandemic forced Boston’s Island Creek Oyster Bar to close permanently, and the Burlington location transformed into a Row 34, becoming the brand’s third outpost, followed by a fourth location in Cambridge in 2023.

Sewall released his first cookbook, James Beard Award nominated The New England Kitchen: Fresh Takes on Seasonal Recipes, with co-author Erin Byers Murray in 2014. He then co-authored a second book in 2016, Oysters: A Celebration in the Raw, with Marion Swaybill; the book presents a wide-ranging visual exploration of the iconic shellfish. Sewall partnered with Erin Byers Murray again in 2021 to release The Row 34 Cookbook.

Getting back to his fisherman roots, Sewall partnered with the University of New Hampshire and the New Hampshire Sea Grant to farm Steelhead Trout in 2018. The program houses thousands of fish in a prototype IMTA (integrated multi-trophic aquaculture) system that floats in the open ocean just off the coast of New Castle, New Hampshire. This system also houses seaweed and mussels which mitigate the impact of the farm on the ocean.

Through Sewall’s restaurants, books, and teaching he is truly dedicated to celebrating the diversity of New England seafood and the passion of the people who bring it to us. For Chef Jeremy Sewall, it’s in his blood.

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