The Team
Brian Holton
Owner
Brian started homebrewing circa 2005 and quickly fell in love with the idea of opening his own brewery. In 2011 Brian opened Beer Engine, a tiny pub in Danville, Ky, which led to opening Monnik in Louisville in 2015 and Monnik New Albany in 2021. He now oversees operations at the two Monnik locations. Brian likes reading, punk music and his family.
Ian Luijk
Owner
Ian is a general contractor who started his career in his home country, the Netherlands. After marrying and moving to the States, he and Brian met and schemed a plan to open a neighborhood brewpub together. He led the build out of both Monnik locations and serves as our general contractor, social media point person, and helps with ongoing business direction and problem-solving. Next to his family, he loves bikes, beer and old buildings.
Candice Luijk
Event Manager
Candice has over twenty-five years of experience in event planning and international non-profit work. After years in Europe, she settled with her family in Louisville, Kentucky. She loves entertaining, camping in the mountains, and planning their next adventure. She oversees all events and assists with business design and organization.
Nick Wilson
Front of House Manager
Hailing from Bowling Green, Ky, Nick brings years of service industry experience and a long time passion for craft beer to our restaurant operations. He loves all types of beer. When he’s not at Monnik, he’s usually hanging out with his family, making hot sauces, or finding some trails to hike.
Emily Rollins
Bar Manager
With over a decade of service experience, and over half of them managing, Em’s love for beverage directing unites with her love of craft beer to form a bar managing megazord. In her spare time when she’s not whipping up cocktails, she enjoys playing her banjo, gardening, and hanging out with her chickens.
Scott Hand
Head Brewer
Scott Hand started out as a homebrewer in the misty pre-World Wide Web days of 1992. After a stint as his local homebrewing club’s president in the late 2000s, he went pro in 2010. Scott has been brewing with Monnik since spring of 2015, guiding the beer through every stage of the brewing process from grain mill to keg, can, and bottle. Scott enjoys chasing cats, starting fires, and tending to his hair farm.
Jacob Wilson
Executive Chef
Originally from Cincinnati, Chef has worked primarily in fine dining and New American restaurants throughout his culinary career. He learned the basics at the side of his Grandmother, Ruth. Jacob has an intense love for food and cooking for his loved ones. After a brief stint in culinary school, he moved to Kentucky to work in some of Louisville's finest kitchens. He enjoys walking his dogs, Val and Gertie, a good road trip, listening to music and reading. Though Jacob lives a quiet life, he has a loud laugh and thrives on the daily kitchen hustle.
Francie Prestigiacomo Wilder
Prep Cook Manager
Francie has been cooking professionally over fifty years. As a past restaurant owner, she has been happy to call Monnik her home since its beginning. She finds managing the food prep team the perfect job for her. She enjoys eating out and chilling with her animals.
Alexis Kemper
New Albany Kitchen Manager
Alexis has been cooking for thirteen years and has spent the last two as a sous-chef. They have experience ranging from upscale casual dining to fast-paced barbecue and pizza. When they’re not in the kitchen, they enjoy hiking local trails, spending time with their family, and whenever time allows, making trips out west while hitting every brewery along the way.
Ben Holiday
Germantown Kitchen Manager
After a prolonged stint in North Carolina, Louisville’s prodigal son has returned to River City, the place he is happy to call home. Eager to create and hungry to contribute to the local food scene, Benjamin strives to nourish Germantown and it’s surrounding neighborhoods with a focus on community-based, local ingredients and unique plates one would be hard-pressed to find elsewhere in the city. When he’s not working, you could find him at the Gorge, a karaoke bar, or re-enacting scenes from Les Mis with his two dogs.