Owner Talks Success & Future Plans

Photographer: JWcreative.indy

After graduating from culinary school in Chicago back in 2003, Mark Henrichs spent time in several cities around the country and beyond honing his craft as a chef before settling here in Central Indiana to launch Revery, his family-friendly Greenwood eatery.

After working in restaurants in California, Louisiana, New York, Virginia and the Caribbean, Henrichs was invited by a colleague to Indianapolis in 2012 for the position of executive chef at Mesh on Mass downtown. He became enamored with Central Indiana and figured it was an ideal setting to eventually start his own passion project.

In 2014 Henrichs spotted a historic building on Main Street in Greenwood dating back to 1863 that reminded Henrichs of a restaurant he used to frequent during his time in Chicago. He knew it had to be his, and by October of that year Revery was open to the public. Five years on, Henrichs hasn’t regretted it for a moment.

“I love big cities but there’s something about Indianapolis and the southside specifically, where it feels like home,” he says. “And the cool, old building that I found still makes me want to go there every day. We actually found old whiskey and perfume bottles and medicine vials under the floorboards dating back to the 1880s, which was so cool.”

Revery’s rustic-yet-modern interior is welcoming and refined without being too formal, and the menu is rather diverse. You’ll find steak, seafood, burgers and short ribs, as well as appetizers like poutine, cheese curds, bruschetta, crab cakes and calamari.

“When we first started we were more high-end dining because I was used to cooking that way in New York City and Chicago,” Henrichs recalls. “But we found that there weren’t enough people here to be attracted to that type of menu. So for the first few months we were like chameleons — we changed the menu every single week and started to find what works.”

Eventually, Henrichs and his team arrived at a casual lunch and dinner concept that includes a few items for those wanting a fine dining experience, such as filet and braised lamb. The rotating lunch menu ranges from braised beef po-boys to fried chicken sandwiches to tenderloins and more (check Revery’s social media for daily lunch and dinner menu updates).

“The menu is for everybody,” Henrichs says, adding that Revery sources locally whenever possible from Shamrock, Maple Leaf and Eli Creek farms among others. “If you want foie gras here you can find it, and if you want fries you can get fries. I’d say we’re a casual restaurant, and we cook and serve what we like to eat. You don’t have to come in wearing a dress or a suit and tie.”

Henrichs also offers a diverse drink menu at BarReV, which sits at the back of the restaurant, including a local beer selection and more than 100 whiskeys to choose from.

“The cool thing about having a mom-and-pop shop like ours is that we can change things up on the menu if we want to, and bring back something if people tell us they miss it,” Henrichs adds. “We don’t have to have anybody’s approval. It’s hard work when you do it on your own, but it’s a labor of love.”

Word has slowly spread about Revery over the past five years, and Henrichs says the bulk of his clientele now comes from at least 10 miles away to dine.

“We’re getting customers from Carmel, Avon and Zionsville now too, and we have a bunch of locals that we see a lot,” he says.

Henrichs currently has plans to construct a multi-use facility next to Revery, which he envisions with a ground-level restaurant and bakehouse, an upstairs area for private event rental, as well as 10 to 12 private office workspaces.

“I think it would be cool to have office space for local startup companies and business people where they can get something to eat and then work there,” Henrichs says. “I’m still working with an architect on plans for that project and it’s something I hope will happen in the not-too-distant future.”

Revery is located at 299 West Main Street in Greenwood. For additional info call 317-215-4164 or visit them online at reverygreenwood.com.

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