Other
Neal Bodenheimer
Bartender / bar director
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
Neal Bodenheimer’s career reads as accumulated practice: service floor judgment, room-reading, and the steadier demands of running operations over time.
Where They Are Now
Training at The University of Texas at Austin came before the first bar shift, but the early work at The Rendon Inn in New Orleans, LA (1995) put Neal Bodenheimer inside a city where hospitality is measured in timing, recall, and consistency. The next stretch in New York sharpened that foundation in a different register. At B.R. Guest Corporation in New York, NY (2001–2006), the work extended over years rather than months, and at The Modern in New York, NY (2005–2006), it brought another set of standards into view. That mix of New Orleans instinct and New York discipline now runs through a set of leadership roles tied to some of the city’s most visible beverage addresses. Neal is Managing Partner of Cure (since 2009), a position that keeps him close to one of New Orleans’ defining cocktail rooms. Since 2012, he has also been Managing Partner of Cane & Table, adding another venue where the beverage program is part of the place’s identity. The work also extends beyond individual bars. Since 2018, Neal has been Board of Directors Co-Chair of Tales of the Cocktail Foundation, a role that places him in the broader infrastructure around the trade. He later became Managing Partner of VALS (since 2020), then added Beverage Operations of Peychaud's (since 2021) and partner of Dauphine's (since 2021), keeping his scope split between operations, beverage direction, and ownership. Taken together, a career built by staying in the work long enough to understand both the room and the system behind it. From The Rendon Inn to B.R. Guest Corporation and The Modern, then on to Cure, Cane & Table, Tales of the Cocktail Foundation, VALS, Peychaud's, and Dauphine's, Bodenheimer’s path is defined less by flash than by range, repetition, and control.
Recognition
Neal Bodenheimer has received VinePair Next Wave Awards, Drinks Professional of the Year (2023).
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Neal
What is Neal Bodenheimer's current role?
As of 2026, Neal Bodenheimer is Managing Partner.
Where did Neal Bodenheimer train or study?
Neal Bodenheimer trained at The University of Texas at Austin.
What recognition has Neal Bodenheimer received?
Drinks Professional of the Year (2023).
