Frank McClelland's love of cooking began while growing up on his grandparents' farm in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. This interest grew to become a passion and a career as one of the nation’s top chefs. In the kitchen, as well as in the dining room, McClelland is known for his pursuit of perfection, his intensity and a love for what he does. This unending aspiration for perfection has been instrumental in establishing the standard for fine dining in Boston.

By the age of 25, McClelland had already been a chef in two of the most respected kitchens in Boston - The Harvest in Cambridge and L'Espalier. In 1984, he became Executive Chef at The Country Inn at Princeton in western Massachusetts where he developed a lasting relationship with the local farmers. McClelland combined his love of regional ingredients with his European techniques to create his own signature cuisine. At The Country Inn he earned a four-star rating from The Boston Globe as well as being named one of the country's top 25 new chefs by Food & Wine.

Since his purchase in 1988, L’Espalier has become one of the top 20 restaurants in the country. L’Espalier’s numerous awards and accolades include being named #1 in Zagat, Boston for the last eight years and being the only independent restaurant in New England for the last six years to receive Five Diamonds from AAA.

In April 2000, McClelland opened Sel de la Terre, a restaurant steeped in the culinary traditions of Provence, France with business partner and fellow chef Geoff Gardner. Sel de la Terre opened to rave reviews and was instantly named one of the top 20 new restaurants in America by Esquire Magazine.

The time spent on the family farm in New Hampshire provided McClelland with a mastery of time-honored traditions and instilled an appreciation of the joys of life in New England, the diversity of the region’s four seasons and all the gustatory riches that lie therein. McClelland continues those traditions with his team by growing fresh herbs, heirloom fruits and vegetables on L’Espalier’s rooftop garden and by meticulously selecting seafood, meats and game from the best purveyors in the region.

Inspired daily by his three children, Kep, Annie and James and their energy and excitement for life’s adventures. And reminded daily by his constant companion, yellow Labrador, Lance Seawater McClelland, of the important things in life: eat, sleep, play…eat, sleep, play….