Kurt Brown

General Manager

Brown was first introduced to the restaurant industry as a student at SUNY Potsdam, where he worked in the kitchen at Maxfields, a contemporary American restaurant and bar. During his time at Maxfields, Brown learned that his passion was in the front-of-house taking care of people, and transitioned to a server and bartender position.

After graduation, Brown relocated to Syracuse, New York, and accepted a bartender position at Empire Brewing Co., which helped expand the local knowledge of the craft brewing process. Brown was soon promoted to bar manager and went on to accept a managerial role at Ambrosia Inc, an American restaurant with a bustling nightclub. 

In 2004, Brown moved on to bc Restaurant, a modern and upscale establishment, where as the restaurant manager he learned the importance of making guests feel at home from NYC industry vets with backgrounds at Nobu & Montrachet. After two years at bc Restaurant, Brown took his newfound knowledge and skills to Osteria Da Nino, a popular Italian restaurant in Huntington, New York, where he developed a true desire to feed people good food and establish meaningful relationships with regular guests. 

The constant search for a greater challenge brought Brown to Manhattan in 2009, and as a longtime admirer of Colicchio’s work, he dropped off his resume at Craft promptly after arriving in the city. Brown started at Craft as a server, but made it his goal to become the General Manager - a role he served in until 2019. 

In 2019, Brown came back to Long Island as the opening General Manager for Small Batch and has led the team there for nearly 8 years making it a know destination for dining on Long Island.