Sean Gilliam, Chef and Hospitality, was born and raised in Durham, North Carolina. Chef Sean comes to Northern Virginia from Memphis, Tennessee. He has more than ten years’ experience as a private chef. While he enjoys cooking and exploring all types of food, Chef Sean specializes in both Brazilian and Southern American cuisine.

After years in both the corporate world and tech field, he decided to open his own small business, Memphis Chef. Chef Sean has had the pleasure of serving businesses and organizations including St. Jude's Children's Hospital, Asbury Seminary, Memphis Theological Seminary, Escape Rooms, local churches and government agencies. He has been featured by media outlets for his benevolent work, specifically during the 2019 government shutdown.

While he enjoys himself in the kitchen, Sean also has an experienced background in audiovisual technology, with a strong focus on video editing. Sean has lent his considerable technology talents to the filming and editing to the web broadcasts of Clarendon UMC’s weekly services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sean stepped into ministry at Lake Junaluska Ministries for Young People, where he provided for all of the Ministries’ audiovisual needs. (He additionally provided A/V services for Collierville UMC in Memphis.) Lake Junaluska is also where he met his wife, Nilse Furtado-Gilliam. Nilse serves as Clarendon UMC’s Director of Discipleship Development.

Sean has also had the opportunity to serve in the mission field with The Well at Lewisburg (a UMC church in north MS), both in Honduras and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

He also has a strong background in the visual and performing arts. Sean has performed in many musicals for school and in off-Broadway productions.