A New Jersey native, Whit’s first restaurant gig was at 14 years old at the centuries old William Pitt Inn at Summit Grand Hotel. At 16, he promoted his first concert for 800 of his closest friends while cutting his teeth in the back of house as a short order cook after school. He spent time before college in Nantucket at the White Elephant and Houston at private country clubs. In college, at 20 he became owner of a music venue and bar called Dead End Pub. This venture helped pay for his college and law school at Southern Methodist University. He was admitted to the Texas, DC and Federal bar in 1987 and practiced law until Brady Wood swapped fees for ownership of a music venue called Trees in 1990. The corollary restaurant Green Room followed in 1994 and ended his law practice. Gypsy Tea Room, Jeroboam, Umlaut, OBar and The Entertainment Collaborative were nails in the legal coffin as his true passion lay in hospitality. Closing those chapters in 2008 lead to a continuing adventure in the wine industry over the next decade involving brand creation and marketing strategy, importation and distribution of wine for retail and restaurants, most importantly the development and creation of business and corporate entities from vision and ideals to execution and prosperity. Starting from a blank sheet of paper, the last chapter in New York and New Jersey created three entities for international import, and wholesale distribution in both states, seeing sales of 200,000 cases of French and Italian wine in its last year. For Whit the most important thing we do is build, concepts, businesses and brands. But most fulfilling and the most important is building people.
Currently resides in Highlands, New Jersey and Deep Ellum, Texas.