BREAKING
BACKSTORY: An aspiring playwright who found himself bewitched by the theater of the hospitality industry, where he ultimately found a career as a bartender, craft cocktail supply creator, and restaurateur
FROM: Henderson, Kentucky, nearly seven hundred miles northwest of his current home in Charleston, South Carolina
YOU MIGHT KNOW HIM FROM: His line of artisanal Jack Rudy Cocktail Co. gear and mixers, which includes his award-winning Small Batch Tonic
NOW: A partner in two of Charleston’ s hottest restaurants: Leon’ s Oyster Shop and Little Jack’ s Tavern
BROOKS
BY NEVIN MARTELL
REITZ
PHOTO BY SQUIRE FOX
LOOKING BACK, BROOKS REITZ place— FIG— because chef-partner Mike REALIZES THE EXACT MOMENT HE Lata had just won the James Beard Award FELL IN LOVE WITH THE RESTAURANT for Best Chef: Southeast in 2009.“ I knew if INDUSTRY. He was a sophomore at I worked for him, there would be press coming Transylvania University in Lexington, to visit and lots of tourists coming though,” Kentucky, where he was studying drama says Reitz, who already had aspirations of and English with dreams of becoming a opening his own restaurant one day.“ I could playwright. To make pocket money, he meet people and make connections.” was working as a busboy and food runner He started as a server, graduated to at Dudley’ s on Short, a local fine-dining bartender, and finally became the manager establishment. and director of the beverage program.
During fall break, Reitz embarked on a Customers at Proof on Main had always Catcher in the Rye – style escapade, heading raved about his homemade tonic with to New York City. One evening, he ended up orange, lemongrass, and quinine, so Reitz at Keith McNally’ s now-legendary French began making it at FIG.“ My personal belief brasserie Balthazar in SoHo.“ It was totally about food and drink is that simple, clean, transportive and transformative,” says Reitz. and elegant is better than fussy, busy,“ I realized a restaurant like that was theater. and overwrought,” he says.“ I wanted There was set design, they were writing lines something that was brighter and purer for the staff, and there was a script for how it than everything else.” was all supposed to run.”
When he wasn’ t working at the
Reitz returned to Lexington newly restaurant, he was making batches of the committed to pursuing a career in tonic in his kitchen, bottling them, and hospitality. With perseverance, he became selling them through a company he dubbed a server at Dudley’ s on Short. When he Jack Rudy Cocktail Co. in honor of his greatgrandfather. The side venture took off was only twenty-one, he was promoted to bartender. It was no small accomplishment: after earning a landslide of press from Bon the next-youngest employee behind the bar Appétit, The New York Times, GQ, and others. was nearly twice his age.
Now the company offers grenadine, sweet
Upon graduating in 2006, Reitz moved tea syrup, aromatic bitters, bartending gear, to Louisville, Kentucky, to score a bartending and more. Currently, Reitz is working on job at the soon-to-open Proof on Main inside perfecting an Old Fashioned starter syrup the 21c Museum Hotel. He steadily moved sweetened with sorghum that will be on up the ladder there until he became the sale later this year. general manager when he was just twentyfour years old.“ I was not great at the job in Shop in Charleston in the spring of 2014
Reitz left FIG to open Leon’ s Oyster
the beginning,” he admits.“ I was managing with his business partner Tim Mink. They a huge staff, most of whom were older than followed it up with Little Jack’ s Tavern, me. It was trial by fire.” which began welcoming guests in April of
Ultimately, he moved to Charleston, this year. To be sure, these won’ t be Reitz’ s South Carolina, where he had to start at last restaurants or business ventures, but the bottom of the restaurant hierarchy he insists on having full control of the vision all over again. He only applied at one for all his endeavors.“ The creative freedom within a project is what’ s exciting for me,” he says.“ I want to create a story— like what I saw at Balthazar.”
16 FLOOD