Our Story
A Historic Past.
The history of the space occupied by The Longshoreman is the stuff of local legend. In the 1940s and 50s, older neighbors say our space was a bar called “The Longshoreman” owned and operated by a fellow, aptly named, Punchie, and it serviced the longshoremen with after-hours beverages a few blocks from their place of work, The Brooklyn dockyards. Who are we to change its name? The docks have evolved into the Brooklyn Bridge Park, high-rise condos, and the cycling/walking paths of the waterfront. So in tribute to days gone by we kept the name The Longshoreman.
The Longshoreman was designed by architect Carlo Perry, in collaboration with the owners, Michelle Ewan and Lisa Detwiler. The outcome is a modern and fresh design with a warm and friendly atmosphere. The Longshoreman is a casual, neighborhood-friendly modern Italian restaurant guaranteed to become a destination location.
Our Chefs
Michelle Ewan
Chef/Owner
Born in South Africa and is a chef by trade and education. Her career began in Edinburgh, Scotland at the Penguin Café as their head chef. Life brought Michelle to London working for Bertorelli’s opposite the famed Covent Garden Opera House and then to New York where she landed at the Café Word of Mouth on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Michelle moved to Brooklyn and revamped the Heights Casino’s dining experience creating a profit center for the club.
BEN Brisk
Executive Chef
Ben Brisk began his journey at the Longshoreman in 2019, starting at the pizza station, moving to Sous Chef, and circa 2021, the Executive Chef. Since then, he has created the menu to include a diverse selection of seasonal and out of the box dishes. He is passionate about the craft of pasta making, constantly exploring texture, taste, and their interplay; constantly discovering different ways dough can be molded.