The work has to hold after we leave.

Built from operating roles

Colby Brownlee.

Colby Brownlee brings nearly two decades of experience across food, beverage, and hospitality. His background spans specialty coffee and tea, professional brewing, wine and spirits education, independent barbecue businesses, restaurant ownership, and multi-unit culinary leadership.

His experience includes professional brewing at Kilowatt Brewing, collaboration beers with Longship Brewing and Coal & Barrel BBQ, and beverage education at the San Diego Wine and Culinary Center. He's also owned and operated independent barbecue businesses, worked in Central Texas barbecue, managed multi-unit production in the Carolinas, and held an ownership interest and culinary leadership role at Bohemian Cattle Co.

That range of experience has shaped how he approaches restaurant operations, from culinary development and production to purchasing, training, menu performance, and the systems connecting them.

The work has included daily brisket controls across five units, a smokehouse built from the ground up, and production for a concert and event environment with capacity above 4,500.

A recipe needs a yield and a portion. A par needs a count. A smoker needs a production schedule. A new cook needs instructions another person can verify.

Colby is also the creator of the American Barbecue Atlas, an ongoing research and classification project documenting American barbecue traditions, regional identity, history, technique, and doctrine.

Colby answers directly and leads the site work.

See the operating work

Based in Northern Michigan. Serving clients across the US and abroad.