Riva Mare Puts Sean McMullen at the Helm in North Charleston

By Eric Barton | Photos by Andrew Cebulka
12:25 p.m. ET, July 31, 2026

AUTHOR BIO: Eric Barton is editor of The Adventurist and a freelance journalist who has reviewed restaurants for more than two decades. Email him here.

The old Charleston Naval Base is about to get a taste of the Italian coast, with an Asheville chef taking charge of the kitchen.

Riva Mare, a seafood-focused Italian restaurant, plans to open in late summer at Navy Yard Charleston in North Charleston. Sean McMullen, who has spent two years as chef de cuisine at Luminosa in Asheville, has been named executive chef.

Riva Mare Restaurant North Charleston Chef Sean McMullen Credit Andrew Cebulka Ceviche

McMullen helped shape Luminosa’s combination of Italian cooking and Appalachian ingredients alongside executive chef Graham House. The restaurant earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand and Green Star in the inaugural American South guide. McMullen’s cooking has been built around relationships with farmers, whole-animal butchery, and preservation techniques including fermenting, pickling, and dehydrating. At Riva Mare, his new surroundings will supply a different set of regional ingredients.

Riva Mare Restaurant North Charleston Chef Sean McMullen Credit Andrew Cebulka Fritto misto

The restaurant is taking inspiration from the Amalfi and Ligurian coasts, emphasizing seafood, vegetables, olive oil, and the brighter side of Italian cooking. The company behind Riva Mare, The Indigo Road Hospitality Group, hasn’t released a full menu, though plans call for crudos, whole roasted fish, house-made pestos, wood-fired dishes, and a raw bar beside the open kitchen. The drinks will include Italian wines, limoncello, spritzes, and cocktails built for everything from dinner downstairs to an aperitivo on the rooftop.

Riva Mare Restaurant North Charleston Chef Sean McMullen Credit Andrew Cebulka Lobster pasta

Indigo Road founder Steve Palmer said the idea grew from his travels along coastal Italy and the long meals, seafood, and general refusal to rush that come with them. “I wanted to create a restaurant that captures the joy, spontaneity, and playful spirit you find there,” Palmer said.

Riva Mare Restaurant North Charleston Chef Sean McMullen Ricotta toast

Architect David Thompson is drawing from Genoa and Charleston’s maritime history, using warm wood, red-and-white stripes, vintage illustrations, and photography. Open-air seating and a rooftop will overlook the Cooper River.

Riva Mare will sit atop Storehouse Nine in the Charleston Design District, part of the 85-acre redevelopment of the former naval base. The emerging neighborhood already includes showrooms and workshops from Schumacher, Kravet, The Urban Electric Co., and Smithey Ironware Company.

The restaurant gives Navy Yard one of its first major dining destinations—and gives McMullen his first executive chef post after helping earn national attention in Asheville.