Sean Iglehart has long ties to the Boynton Beach hospitality industry and the greater Palm Beach County community. His family has been in the Palm Beaches since the 1930s and helped shape the region’s polo profile. His grandfather, in fact, was a world-class polo player. Iglehart, who grew up in Ocean Ridge, chose barstools over polo mallets and opened Sweetwater cocktail bar and kitchen in the early 2010s. Fifteen years later, in January 2025, he debuted Second Rodeo, a neighborhood haunt where a locavore ethos can be felt in every facet.
Iglehart tapped another Palm Beach County native, chef James Cruz, to spearhead the culinary side of things. From the outset, Iglehart knew he wanted to present eco-conscious, sustainable fare featuring local ingredients (all the fish, for example, is sourced daily from Captain Clay and Sons Seafood Market in Delray Beach). Everything is cooked over or touched by fire, says Iglehart, noting the use of Florida red oak.
“The menu is very Americana,” he continues. “We wanted to be very authentic to who we are in what we show.”
Seasonality and space limitations—the main lounge is just 700 square feet—necessitate an ever-evolving menu and cross-utilization of ingredients between the food and cocktail programs. Iglehart describes the libations as avant-garde yet designed for high-volume service, with batch cocktails helping the team maintain momentum late into the night. Much like the food, fire often comes into play.
“We take our craft and put it into these batches that make it much more seamless for service, and it doesn’t affect quality or the performance of the cocktail at all,” Iglehart explains. “We break the night up. From 6 to 10 is when the fire is on. Then from 10 to 2, we do a late-night menu.”
Second Rodeo may have only recently celebrated its first birthday, but it has already expanded. In December, the team opened a daytime café, Second Rodeo Provisions, next door.
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