In Good Company with Brooks Reitz

When I hopped on the phone to interview restauranteur and entrepreneur Brooks Reitz, he was at the airport, about to fly from his hometown of Charleston to New York City. Later that week, he was to host a party in collaboration with E. A.  T. - an Upper East Side institution (I went to the party. It was lively, tasty, and comfortably chic, but that’s not what this article is about).

We decided early this year to kick off a new content series from TZP – the idea was to connect and collaborate with people in the NA, food and beverage, and creative fields. Those who love to serve, host, and intentionally curate their space. Brooks came to mind – an early adopter of the reduced alcohol lifestyle, a celebrated chef and restaurant owner with a unique take on how simple food should be, and passionate about interior design and what makes a space special. The man generally has excellent taste. So, we wanted to see how he incorporates his favorite NA beverages into his daily life.

Without further ado, enjoy this Q+A with our friend Brooks.

A: What’s your background? Give us a short bio!

B: I’m from Kentucky, and have lived in Charleston for 16 years. I’ve worked in restaurants since I was 16, and studied English and drama in college to be a playwright… but took those skills to the restaurant business instead. I have 4 restaurants, 3 in Charleston and one in New Orleans. About 14 years ago, I founded Jack Rudy. That’s a quick and dirty version of me.

A: What brought you to NA drinking?

B: So, I’ve always been very health conscious from a young age. I remember asking a friend of mine on my soccer team when I was 14 if he could teach me how to lift weights. I was raised in a house without much processed/snacky food – we ate whole, real foods, and cooked from scratch. With that foundation, there was a natural progression to healthier choices later in life.

I had a kid relatively young, at 24, and around the same time, chose to earnestly follow my passions/career path. I realized pretty early on that you have to take care of yourself if you want to do good things and be around for a long time, especially in the restaurant industry. With that, I got further and further away from drinking… the NA boom around 4 or 5 years ago led to an epiphany where I could still have the flavors I liked and the moment that I crave, without necessarily having alcohol.

Now, every night before dinner, [my wife and I] have a non-alcoholic beer or canned cocktail. We’ll put on music and sit in the living room with our favorite pilsner or canned Ghia. That little change has had a real ripple effect in our lives, home, and health.

A: That’s great. So, you’re not totally sober? (Most of our customers aren’t.)

B: Yeah, no. But years ago, we decided not to drink at home unless we’re entertaining, and that has helped us keep our alcohol intake low - we’re home most nights. But when we go out or are traveling, it really makes those drinks more special. Like, this week in New York, we’ll enjoy some drinks while we’re out, and it’ll be great. I think a lot of people get stuck in that loop – where you open a bottle of wine while you’re cooking, and your first glass turns into two, two turns into three, and next thing you know you’re drinking half a bottle of wine, every single night… and I’m not here to preach – to each their own – but this system has REALLY worked for us to keep our alcohol consumption in a really, really great place.

A: So, Jack Rudy was pretty ahead of the NA “trend,” wasn’t it.

B: Yeah, it really was. I was kind of reacting to the cocktail renaissance that was unfolding in New York around that time. I had the fortune of traveling to New York a lot in my early 20s, where I was exposed to that culture – I took it back to Charleston and got really into it. Being early on these things was very exciting.

A: How are you incorporating NA drinking to your restaurants? How is it doing?

B: It’s doing well! When I first told my team I wanted to put a NA beer on the menu, no one thought it would perform well… *I* liked it, but had no idea if there was real demand for it… but we’re seeing now that there is indeed an audience craving that type of offering. We also have NA spirits at the bar that can be swapped into our standard cocktails on the menu.

A: Do you have any favorite NA brands?

B: We love the Athletic Brewing Pilsner, and I love Ghia, top to bottom. I already had a fridge full of them when y’all reached out to me. I love the Lapo’s negronis. Love the Athletic Run Wild IPA, and the Untitled Art Pilsner. Figlia, too – it’s nice and bitter. But I literally CRAVE the Ghias. I have to make sure I don’t drink them like a soda because they’re SO good. Sometimes I’ll have two but I have to stop myself from drinking more.

A: I’m a big music person – we all are at TZP. You mentioned you will put some tunes on while you’re sipping before dinner. What do you like to listen to?

B: Lots of jazz. I love Bill Evans and Ben Webster… some Thelonious Monk… other than that, really into vibey deep cut soul music. Other than that, some of my favorite artists right now are Cameron Winter… he’s kind of new on the scene and buzzy... I also love Waxahatchie and Hooray for the Riff Raff.

Brooks was kind enough to share his go-to jazz playlist… and we are kind enough to share it with you! Listen here.

A: What’s your relationship with design? I see you were pretty involved in the design of your restaurant concepts.

B: My partner and I design our restaurants ourselves. I think, if you have a specific vision and some semblance of taste or discernment, a space will be so much more interesting if you do it yourself. Designers don't typically understand the way a restaurant works and the unique needs it has. Certain materials fare well, and others, less so. Plus I like a place that feels a little imperfect, like it has been stitched together over many years. I'm turned off when I walk into a restaurant space and everything feels brand new. I think you need it needs to be just a little fucked up before it's really comfortable.

A: What do you think is the best way to make a space unique/special?

B: If we are talking about a home, I think the most interesting homes are pieced together over many years. I like to see a house that tells me something about the person that lives there - the collections, the pieces they've gathered over time, the scars the house wears. I like a home with personality!

My other tip is to avoid overhead light where possible, and have your light sources at various heights. Lamplight is always preferable, in my opinion.

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Follow along with Brooks at @brooksreitz on Instagram, stop by his restaurants in Charleston (Little Jack's Tavern, Leon's Oyster Shop, Melfi's, The Oyster Shed), and shop Jack Rudy products here.