On the Road at Old Mecklenburg Brewery

At Dogwood Southern Table & Bar, we go crazy for fresh, local beer. So this month we’re on the road to The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery (OMB) in Charlotte, NC.

What can you expect when you visit OMB? Fresh, great-tasting beer, of course, and a whole lot more!

• The Brewery—Free tours of the brewery are available on Saturdays & Sundays at 2, 3, and 4. The tour lasts about 40 minutes. Private tours are $10 per person and includes a sampling of the beers.
• The Brauhaus—At this favorite local gathering place, you can relax and enjoy the fresh flavors of OMB as well as their delicious menu of soft German pretzels, Currywurst with french fries, and traditional sausages. They also serve salads, pizza, wings, and Angus beef burgers.
• The Biergarten—The 8-acre OMB Biergarten is “reminiscent of the world famous Biergartens of Munich, OMB’s garten is a natural oasis just minutes away from the hustle and bustle of real life.” Lose yourself in nature as you enjoy a cold beer and meal with family and friends.

Josh Brigham is the Uptown Sales Representative for OMB. We spoke with him recently about the brewery.

What OMB beers do Dogwood and Dressler’s offer their customers? “Dressler’s sells Copper, which is an authentic Dusseldorf style Altbier and Dogwood sells our Captain Jack Pilsner, which is a German style Pilsner,” explains Josh.

Please describe the relationship between Dogwood and OMB. “Since Dogwood is a John Dressler’s concept, we’ve already been working together for years at his other 2 restaurants,” says Josh. “I’d like to think we get along very well with the Dressler’s group. They sell a lot of our beer and personally, I couldn’t be happier with their SouthPark location.  It’s half a mile from my house so I often find myself at the bar having a drink with their mixologists Brian and Brittany (who make some of the best cocktails in town).”

What’s it like working at the Brewery? “Working at OMB has been a great experience,” says Josh. “I got hired on with the company back in June of 2010, so I just passed my 5 year mark with the brewery. It’s been a lot of hard work to get OMB to where it is today, but we are all very proud of how far the company has come in the last 5 years and how well received our brand has been throughout town.”

What are your customers’ top 3 favorite beers and why? “I’m gonna base this answer on the percentage of beer sold by the company. Copper is first, Pilsner is second, and then it’s a toss up between the Hornets Nest Hefeweizen and our Marzen style beer, Mecktoberfest. Those 2 are battling it out for 3rd place.”

What can you say about the OMB staff? “Our staff are hardworking individuals that share 2 common goals–to grow our brand and have fun. I can’t speak for every individual in the company, but this is far and away the best “real job” I’ve ever had.”

Describe a typical day at the brewery. “For me, a typical work day is out in the field,” explains Josh. “I’m the rep for Uptown, Southend, Dilworth, Elizabeth, and Plaza-Midwood. Most of my time is checking in with current customers to make sure they have what they need and then looking for new opportunities in the growing restaurant industry. I spend very little time onsite at OMB, but when I do, I’m typically giving tours, which is my favorite part of working here.”

What can people expect from the tours? “Our tours are a mix of the history of the company and a very general description of our processes. From the origin and type of ingredients we use, through the actual brewing/cleaning equipment, to the packaging and future packaging machines that we use to get our product to market. Overall you get a lot of info and you have a good time doing it!”

Working on any new beers? “We have limited capacity to experiment,” says Josh. “Right now we are using every tank to keep up with current production rates. With our constant reinvestment, next year should see the arrival of lots more tanks, which will allow our brewers to pursue their creative passion and make new beer!”

Josh’s expert advice for Dogwood guests: “If you are at Dogwood, I would ask the mixologists for an awesome one-of-a-kind cocktail, then downshift to a Captain Jack. Tell them OMB sent ya!! Cheers!!”

Meet the Band- Our Amazing Kitchen Crew

Meet Our Amazing Kitchen Crew at Dogwood: Rick Jahr, Erik Litaker, and Ryan Daugherty.

We are so proud to introduce you to three of our amazing kitchen staff at Dogwood:

Rick Jahr, Dogwood’s Chef de Cuisine

Rick has been with Dogwood since its opening. Rick also opened Dressler’s Metropolitan.

What are your responsibilities at Dogwood, Rick? “Chiefly babysitting and general menu design.”

What do you enjoy most about your job? “Seasonality of ingredients and having a crew that is passionate about the food industry.”

What are some of the challenges that come with your job? “Staffing any restaurant is always challenging, in particular when you are lunch and dinner seven days,” explains Rick. “It is hard to make sure everyone gets enough work without going overboard.”

Describe a typical day on the job. “Emails with farmers and purveyors. Daily specials meeting.  Calls to the local farmers. Coordinating the day with my two sous-chefs and trying to weasel my way into wine or liquor tastings.”

What are your favorite foods to prepare at Dogwood? “Family meal for the crew before the shift,” says Rick.

What are some of your favorite things to eat at Dogwood? “Ribs are my favorite!”

What are some of the customer favorites?  “Scallops are huge. The pimento cheese here at Dogwood is amazing and we sell a large amount.”

Do you do the cooking at home? “Yes.”

When did you first learn how to cook? Who taught you? “Started cooking when I was 20 and learned from Chef Clarence Trenda in Minneapolis. Go Gophers!”

Describe the people you work with at Dogwood. “Super talented group of guys in the kitchen,” says Rick. “A privilege to have such experience in the crew.”

Any special interests? “Golden Gopher Hockey (obviously), live music of most kinds, craft beers, and eating delicious food. Also, really like my Yakitori grill at home.”

What about family life? “A special lady friend and personal nurse.”

Eric Litaker, Sous Chef at Dogwood

Erik has also been with Dogwood since the beginning. His responsibilities include menu planning, day-to-day operations, and instruction of other staff members.

What do you enjoy most about your job, Erik? “I have the chance to create new dishes and showcase my cooking style,” he says.

What are some of the challenges that come with your job? “Keeping all our products organized, and the long hours,” he explains.

Describe what a typical day on the job looks like for you. “7:00 am arrival, set up stations for lunch, daily prep, 11:00 open for lunch service,work lunch unil 2:00pm, break down lunch stations, 2:30 pm prep and reset station for dinner service, 5:00pm open for dinner service, work dinner service until 9:00 pm.”

What are your favorite foods to prepare at Dogwood? “I enjoy our daily features mostly,” explains Erik.

What are some of your favorite things to eat at Dogwood? “House roasted turkey sandwich.”

What are some of the customer favorites? “Guest favorites include fried green tomato salad, housemade bacon jam, country dumpling, scallops…the list keeps on going.”

Do you do the cooking at home? “Absolutely!”

When did you first learn how to cook and who taught you? “I started working in a kitchen at 14 years old in the dish pit. I paid attention to the chef and other cooks around me,” says Erik. “As far as who taught me the basics, that would be my mother.”

Please describe your coworkers. “I am lucky to have a very talented staff to work with. We have a lot of talent in our kitchen.”

Any hobbies, sports, or other interests? “Snowboarding, cooking, and enjoying life!”

Ryan Daugherty, Sous Chef at Dogwood

Ryan has been with Dogwood since its opening. His responsibilities include “banging out good food, menu development, kitchen clown, and fostering creativity in our guys.”

What do you enjoy most about your job, Ryan? “Creative freedom.”

What are some of the challenges that come with your job? “Keeping the crew abreast of continual changes and farm produce.”

Describe a typical day on the job. “Checking in orders, feature creation, food direction, dinner service. I also really like making delicious gelatos and sausages in a quiet kitchen after everyone has left for the day.”

What are your favorite foods to prepare at Dogwood? “Anything with fresh NC seafood.”

What are some of your favorite things to eat at Dogwood? “Duck confit and fresh field peas.”

What are some of the customers’ favorites? “Our hanger steak and anything we do with scallops.”

Do you do the cooking at home?  “Yes. All the time when I am home.”

When did you first learn how to cook? Who taught you? “First learned at Birkdale Country Club from Chef Brian Kelly.”

Describe your coworkers. “Ragtag crew of passionate kitchen rats!”

Hobbies/sports/interests? “Bowling, fatherhood, hip-hop of the 90s, and food!”

Family life? “I have a beautiful wife, Deirdra, of seven years, and a crazy two-year-old named Declan.  Also, have two fostered puppies named Slim and Chesapeake.”