meet our pub crew

Louie Bertino: Head Chef

Louie is has been a part of the Bigfork community for a long time. Locals will know him from Old Bridge Pub, the restaurant he owned in the Village for a number of years. Before that, Louie worked at Tamarack Brewing Company in Lakeside. He is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of Montana at FVCC in Kalispell. As a student he was recruited to become an assistant instructor in the program. In his role as instructor, Louie taught about the economics of restaurants and was able to guide young culinary students into careers in the restaurant industry.

Cooking has always been a big part of Louie’s life, he has spent a lot of time perfecting the homemade Italian recipes from both of his grandmothers. Everyone in his family cooks, and back home in New York, Sunday dinner at Grandma’s house has been a family tradition for generations. In addition to this foundation in traditional cooking, Louie is interested in types of cuisine from all over the world, and is inspired by many chefs such Alfred Portale, Kenji Lopez, Leah Chase, Dominic Orsini and of course Massimo Bottura, the author of Never Trust A Skinny Italian Chef.

With this background, Louie has developed his own style of preparing familiar dishes from pasta to steaks to pizza and burgers that are unique and delicious.

Like most chefs and restaurant owners, Louie spends almost all of his time in his kitchen. Being a successful chef is a lifestyle, and Louie embraces that lifestyle with excitement and dedication to making real food with the best ingredients possible. He wants his guests to enjoy good food and the experience of dining out. When Louie does get out of the kitchen, he spends time with his wife and dog in the mountains and lakes of Montana and takes the occasional trip to New Orleans or New York to continue being inspired by amazing food and chefs from around the country.

 

Ryan Weller: Sous Chef

Hometown: I was born in California and then moved to Denver, which is where all my family is from. That said my hometown has to be Lakeside, Montana – where I’ve spent the greater part of my life.

What do you do at the Pubhouse? I started at the FLBC Pubhouse in the spring of 2023 as Sous Chef. We opened the Pizza Cellar in June and that’s where you’ll likely find me, making the best pizza in town.

What is your favorite style of beer? I have been blessed to work for several brew pubs and as a result I’ve become somewhat of a craft beer snob. I prefer a well balanced IPA that doesn’t ruin my taste buds with too much hoppiness.

What brought you to Bigfork? I have spent a large portion of my career on the west shore of Flathead Lake. When the opportunity presented itself to come across the lake to work with Louie Bertino as his Sous Chef, I just had to come see what kind of trouble we could make.

 

Nicole Harker: General Manager

Hometown: Born in Norfolk, Virginia….raised in most of Southern California, but consider Bigfork, Montana my hometown.

What do you do at the Pubhouse? My position at the Pubhouse is all encompassing.  I am responsible for overseeing both front of house and back of house staff to ensure we work as one well oiled machine.  I maintain day to day operations and have the pleasure of working very closely with our owner to further grow and develop the business to ensure we are meeting the needs of our customers and maintaining our brand as a brewery.

What is your favorite style of beer? I like beers that are light in bitterness. Some of my favorite here have been the Flathead Premium Lager and the Sunshower Wheat.

What brought you to Bigfork? We wanted our children to grow up in a small town with a tight knit community, and we have family right over the boarder that we wanted to be closer to.

 

Sarah Peterson: Assistant General Manager/Marketing

Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada

What do you do at the Pubhouse? I do a little bit of everything around the FLBC brewery and pub! I manage our social media accounts, help plan and promote events, order and design our beer gear, help out on the canning line and in the brewhouse, and much more. But my favorite thing to do is get behind the bar and pour delicious pints for our customers!

What is your favorite style of beer? Hoppy beers, like Pale Ales and IPAs, are always my go to choice, but I also enjoy challenging the palate with crazy styles like Farmhouse ales and Sours.

What brought you to Bigfork? My family has a cherry orchard on the east shore of Flathead Lake. Growing up, I fell in love with Montana. After coming up one spring to work on the orchard, I applied for a job serving beer in the Woods Bay taproom. That summer job never ended and now Montana is my permanent home!

 

Sandy Schwartz: Owner

Hometown: Hinsdale, Illinois

What do you do at the brewery? Director of Branding

What is your favorite style of beer? Hard one – Browns, Porters, or Stouts (the darker the better)

What brought you to Bigfork? I took a trip out here; and it was love at first sight. I was living in Florida after college and thought it’s now or never to go for it and try mountain living for awhile. That was over 15 years ago!