Page 90 - Forbes - USA (December 2019)

F O R B E S B R A N D V O I C E W I T H I W C S C H A F F H A U S E N | PA I D P R O G R A M

THE MOMENT OF CHALLENGE eep in the Sunset Park neighborhood of
Brooklyn, Blake Tomnitz overlooks the
Yao opened the restaurant doors with almost no D15,000-square-foot brewery he spent the past
working capital. But the greatest challenge was half-decade building and perfecting. It’s a far cry from
his search for identity. Once the idea behind Kato à w ÀÃÌ >ÌÌi «ÌÃ Ì LÀiÜ V i}i] º ÕÀ ` À
had evolved, Yao took the reins, having done so room kitchen stoves,” recalls the now 30-year-old
88 Õ vw V > Þ > Ài>`Þ° ÕÌ Ì i ÀiÃÌ>ÕÀ> ̽à ` ÀiVÌ cofounder and CEO of Five Boroughs Brewing Co.
wasn’t fully baked—and it didn’t feel personal to / `>Þ] Ã VÀ>vÌ LiiÀÃ y Ü Ì À Õ} L>À Ì>«Ã > ` ÃÌ V
him. In the hopes of bringing in money, he served vÀ `}ià >VÀ ÃÃ] Üi ] > w Ûi iÜ 9 À
L À Õ} ð
T
N pan-Asian dishes “that I thought resonated with
E
M what Angelenos liked to eat,” he says. “There wasn’t THE MOMENT OF INSPIRATION
O a voice behind the food. It wasn’t driven by my
M
identity.” It was that sense of resignation that pushed Post-college, Tomnitz kept brewing but took a job as
E
H him to pivot. an investment banking analyst. Still, some corner of
T
his brain was preparing for a business in beer. One
THE MOMENT OF SUCCESS day, he and his future cofounder, Kevin O’Donnell,

then his banking colleague, laid their eyes on an
ƂÌ w ÀÃÌ] 9> V Õ ` ½Ì i « LÕÌ Ãii >Ì >à >
inspiring scene at a Bronx bar. “We had never seen
evolution of someone else’s vision—a stopgap
such a diverse group gathering around beer. It didn’t
before he opened a place that was truly his. But
matter if you’ve lived here your entire life, if you’ve
that freed him to take risks. “I’ll treat this like an
ÕÃÌ Ûi` iÀi] v Ì½Ã Þ ÕÀ w ÀÃÌ À £]äääÌ VÀ>vÌ LiiÀ]»
incubator,” he thought, and decided to curate a
he says. They instantly knew what they wanted to
ÌÀÕi /> Ü> iÃi i Õ y Õi Vi` LÞ Ì i y >Û ÀÃ v Ã
VÀi>Ìi\ > LiiÀ Ài«ÀiÃi Ì } > w Ûi L À Õ} Ã v i v
childhood. “I might as well do food I believe in.” In
the most diverse cities in the world—and a space to
Õ i] Ì i V iv ÀiVi Ûi` Ã w ÀÃÌ ÃÌ>À° º Þ Õ Ì >Ìi
drink it.
goal was to be in the Michelin system,” he says.
“It’s slowly starting to sink in,” he says. “When I THE MOMENT OF CHALLENGE
Ü>Ã Þ Õ }iÀ ` ` ½Ì >Ûi > /> Ü> iÃi w i ` }
ÀiÃÌ>ÕÀ> Ì° Ü] > Ì v /> Ü> iÃi V ivà Ã>Þ] ¼9 Õ Tomnitz and O’Donnell were blocked by bureaucracy,
guys are the guiding star.’” whether about building codes or liquor laws, at every
step of the way. “Starting a business in New York
City is very hard. Starting a manufacturing business is
extremely hard, and starting an alcohol manufacturing
business is impossible.” Nearly. And yet in 2017, Five
Boroughs opened to the public.

THE MOMENT OF SUCCESS

In August 2017, Five Boroughs launched the brand
HOW BLAKE with a traditional IPA, a crisp pilsner, a tart gose and
a hoppy lager. “We wanted to develop a wide variety

TOMNITZ BUILT THE to show as many different palates across New York
as possible,” says Tomnitz. Anticipating bureaucratic

hold-ups, they waited until the very last minute to
QUINTESSENTIAL announce their opening. “But 500 people showed

up—it wasn’t just family and friends; there was
NEW YORK BREWERY Ã } w V> Ì ÌiÀiÃÌ Ì Þ vÀ À
Þ LÕÌ iÜ

York City and beyond.” A room packed with all kinds
v «i « i vÀ > w Ûi L À Õ} Ã] > } } ÕÌ > `
à «« } à VÀi>Ì Ã¶ Ã Û Ã Ü>à Ài> âi`°

D E C E M B E R 3 0 , 2 0 1 9 F O R B E S . C O M