Brent Menke, Chef

The Mick Brasserie

Upon graduating from the University of Arizona in 1992 Brent took an unorthodox path and made his way back east to Newport, RI.  It was there that fate stepped in and offered him an opportunity that was to change his life.  He was offered a position on a large private yacht getting ready to set sail for Europe. Literally and figuratively, his ship was getting ready to sail and was asked if he was going to be on it.  He accepted.  Crossing the Atlantic for the first time, seeing Europe for the first time, working in a proper galley, learning to cook, learning to sail, and discovering the world.  From that first position, the experience took him to work under many great chefs before taking the helm of the kitchen.  Working on yachts, jets, and villas took Chef Brent around the world cooking for many of the world’s elite, heads of state, billionaires, oligarchs, even a King.

In 2010, a new opportunity arose that would then come to define his future in restaurants by building a farm to table establishment in Massachusetts. In November 2011. The Farm Table restaurant opened its doors and was voted “Best New Restaurant in the Pioneer Valley,” rooted in local organic farming and French cooking techniques.  It saw great success for years before Chef Brent sold his position in the business and took his wife, daughter, and son on a yearlong adventure around the globe.  Traveling to learn about to experience other cultures and to explore the meaning of happiness became the focus of that year abroad, teaching his children to appreciate Earth and its people. Upon completion of an epic year of exploration, Chef Brent returned to his hometown and embarked upon building restaurants, beginning with The Mick Brasserie in Scottsdale, AZ. Since then, Brent has also built a catering business, a wine shop, and a travel business on the foundations of the Mick. Soon a second location will begin construction in Gilbert, AZ.