Entering the Reckless Breakfast pop-up at R Kitchen in West Ashley feels like walking into your friend’s house.
The coffee is brewing and fresh orange juice is on the table. Chef Chris Seley is there to greet you and make you feel like you’ve known him for a decade. With high energy and joy, Seley and his chef friends immediately bring their warm presence and warmer dishes to the front of the brunch service.
“It’s okay to not be okay” reads the chalkboard in front of the R Kitchen house. “That’s for Katie, she is the one who came up with the name for this place. I do so much of it for her,” said Seley. About a year ago, his sister Katie and two of her children died in a flash flood in Pennsylvania. After the tragedy, he said he felt like he couldn’t keep the pop-up going.
In the weeks following her death, Seley’s friends hopped in to cook at Reckless Breakfast and lend a hand. Chefs Justin Knies and Jillian Self regularly cook alongside Seley as they did on the Sunday that Dish got to experience the Reckless Breakfast feast.
“It’s not easy every day; some days are still really tough. Justin, Jillian and my community — I feel so lucky to have all of them. Katie would be really proud of this,” Seley said.
Dish: I think many people might think that doing a breakfast-oriented pop-up is very niche. How did you wind up here?
Chris Seley: Charleston is a really cool, funky town and I am just honored to have been able to learn here. This is where I got my culinary chops — I am just so grateful to Charleston and the whole culinary post-Covid vibe, having the opportunity to be able to do something like this, it’s a really cool thing.
I helped open R Kitchen downtown with Ross Webb, and when I came back [to Charleston after living in Denver], he kind of reached out to me. I started helping him out part-time and he’s the one that mentioned to me: “Hey man, you know, I’ve got this location in West Ashley. We’re closed on Sundays if you want to use it.” And I was like, oh, yeah, I guess I’ll try that out.
Dish: Honestly I think you’re the first five-course, fixed-menu, chef’s table breakfast place I’ve ever heard of. What made you want to turn “the most important meal of the day” into an entire culinary experience?
Seley: I just love breakfast. It’s my absolute favorite. Some places downtown, they would have a brunch, and a lot of chefs don’t like working brunch. And that’s because you crank! You really have to crank it out. It’s just a lot. But I just absolutely love breakfast and how diverse, it is and how many different things you can do with it. I feel like it’s very underappreciated, like it can be elevated and you can make it pretty awesome. Just think how many different things you can make with an egg. People ask me sometimes, what’s your favorite ingredient? After butter, I would have to say an egg. It’s just so diverse and there’s so many different things you can do with just a simple egg. I feel like it’s special, especially in the setting [at R Kitchen] being so intimate.
Dish: What’s it like cooking on the line while also interacting with guests at the same time?
Seley: Chefs kind of get a weird rep from television and stuff where people just think that we’re just kind of a little cranky or quirky, but most chefs are not like that. They work in the back in a hot kitchen, and all they ever really hear is, like, bad news, you know? It’s because that’s what they need to fix. Chefs are food problem solvers. It’s almost like a zen garden: They spend so much time on it, and then when they’re done, they just wipe it away. Most chefs do not get to see the reaction from their food. [But I love when you get to] put it out there and notice the reaction on peoples’ faces as they eat your food [while being] across the counter from guests, being able to interact with them and tell them how you were inspired to create the dish and the whole story of it. And then you get to give it to them, and they try it, and you really feed off the involuntary eye rolls or that little happy food dance people do. I love it.
Dish: I know that the dishes you offer are constantly rotating, but how do you figure out the menu for each seating?
Seley: I love this idea of basing food off of your shopping for the week — that’s how I write the menu. I always ask about allergies and dietary restrictions and I work around that; I’m very open to working with anybody’s allergies or dietary restrictions. But this allows me to do the menu the way I do it. It’s what’s fresh, what’s fun, what’s local. But I also say, whatever I want to make and whatever I want to eat too, right? At first I did not think that people would be open to this concept, just letting me decide. But it turns out, Charleston is kind of the perfect place for that. The guests here, they trust the chefs, and it’s just so cool. I am so honored to be part of it.
Dish: So since you’re a breakfast expert, I have to know: what’s your favorite simple breakfast?
Seley: I say eggs over easy and then just some delicious, fresh juice. Obviously orange juice, [or maybe] peach juice — especially when they’re in season. And, of course, some good, strong coffee.
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