R Table at Brew a new dining experience for area

Tyler and Linsy Reynolds plan on opening R Table at Brew at 408 Main Street in Jasper on Thursday, October 6, with a farm-to-table concept bringing customers delicious meals sourced from the best local producers in a great atmosphere.

Fans of the downtown restaurant Brew are in for something new with a hint of the old when it reopens next week as R Table at Brew.

Tyler and Linsy Reynolds plan on bringing a unique idea to the popular restaurant, originally opened in 2016 under Barry Dunlop and Josh Premuda. Paying homage to what the two former owners did is important since, as with many local people, the couple visited Brew a lot for the atmosphere and food options.

“We always loved Brew,” Tyler said.

The R Table refers to their surname. The restaurant is an extension of the Reynolds’ table, which consists of the best locally sourced ingredients from regenerative farms and producers in the region. Regenerative refers to the agricultural practices that fall in line rehabilitation approach to food and farming systems. It focuses on topsoil regeneration, increasing biodiversity, improving the water cycle, enhancing ecosystem services, supporting biosequestration, increasing resilience to climate change, and strengthening the health and vitality of farm soil.

“That is the thing about Southern Indiana,” Tyler explained. “A lot of people don’t realize how blessed we are with our climate, our rainfall, sunshine, our seasons. We have so much food here.”

And farmers around here are ten years ahead regarding regenerative agricultural practices, according to Tyler.

Working within that framework of locally produced, nutrient-rich food, Tyler and Linsy plan on creating an array of dishes based on the seasonal availability of ingredients in the area. And they plan on these meals becoming core memories for their guests.

To accomplish this and ensure a sustainable supply of high-quality foods and ingredients, the restaurant will only be open for reservations on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. Making a reservation is easy on their site here. Customers pick one of two seating times and what entree they prefer and note any dietary restrictions or allergies.

If you visit the site, you will note that you only pick a meat or plant-based entree option. This is where customers will have to be a little open-minded with their palates. Whatever accompanies the entree –appetizer, sides, and dessert — will be entirely up to the two chefs, Executive Chef Katlyn Landrum and Sous Chef Adam Kisellus.

While you may not know what exactly will accompany your meal, what the Reynolds guarantee is an excellent experience with fantastic food.

“I think it will be a little bit different than what people are used to. But, I also think there are a lot of people kind of just realizing that we do have access to these different flavors of food in our world,” Linsy said. “Why not try them out?”

Growing up, her parents, Larry and Linda Reidenbach, always had an expansive garden and were willing to let Linsy be flavor adventurous. Plus, she shared her father’s diverse palate — always willing to give new flavors at least two tastes.

Through R Table at Brew, she hopes to bring her passion for fresh foods and new flavors to the community.

And it is more than just the food. The couple wants to provide a dining experience in which the food is simply another ingredient in a unique experience built around friendships and great conversations.

“Hopefully, everyone enjoys the creativity that is put into these meals by our chefs,” she added. “It’s more than just the taste; it is the presentation and how this place makes you feel when you are here.”

The cost is $55 plus drinks and tax per person.

And if you’ve missed Brew’s popular Sunday brunch, no worries. Beginning on October 9, Linsy and Tyler will offer some Brew classics like the award-winning Brew Burger, chicken and waffles and more from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. every Sunday. You can see the brunch menu here.

Getting to this point has been a journey that began as the couple considered entrepreneurial options. They landed on building an idea around locally sustainable whole foods as Linsy and Tyler overcame some health issues by changing their eating habits.

“Our bodies are amazing, and they are forgiving,” Tyler noted.

As they began eating more consciously — it wasn’t easy, and it was expensive — the couple saw improvements in their health. First, Tyler had some issues with his gut that cleared up, and then he lost about 40 pounds so quickly his family thought he was sick.

For Linsy, the food/health connection hit home when she got a haircut for a wedding. The hairstylist mentioned how long her hair was. Linsy hadn’t thought about it, but the comment made her remember how hard it had always been for her to grow her hair very long. She mentioned that she had been eating better to the stylist, who remarked, “Food is what your hair is made from.”

She felt silly that she hadn’t made the connection but hearing that allowed her to realize how well her body was responding to the dietary changes they had made.

They began exploring options for bringing that food to the public in a unique way when they found out that Brew was up for sale by then-owner Jason McCoy. He was looking for someone to continue doing what Brew was known for but with their own twist.

Then things took off.

In a series of seemingly serendipitous events that involved seeing the random post on Facebook about Brew being for sale within minutes of it being posted, meeting McCoy at their home to pitch him their vision, and receiving an offer on that home almost immediately after speaking with McCoy (it had been on the market for a few months). Then, a place became available in the housing restricted market in Jasper, and McCoy called them back to let them know he had chosen them for the business.

Serendipitous for some, but for the Christian couple, they see it as an opportunity to bring their business and passion to life and to help build the community they have grown to love.

“All these things started to work and line up really fast,” Tyler said. “It seemed to just happen in the order to make it work for us.”

That was in April, and in June, Tyler quit his mechanical engineering position at Crane to focus on bringing their vision to life.

It may seem fast, but Tyler and Linsy have been making plans for a restaurant for several years, including eating at restaurants with similar concepts in their own travels. Plus, Tyler grew up with his grandparents’ restaurant as a constant backdrop. Karen and Dow Henson operated the popular Villager Restaurant in West Baden for decades. His father and father’s father are also hardworking and entrepreneurial business owners.

That spirit and heritage, combined with Linsy’s appreciation for flavors and fresh foods, are being funneled into what R Table at Brew will bring to the community.

“I’m just excited to offer this to the community and see how they react to it,” Linsy said