meet our founders

HUNTER - BREWER - CHEF

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TIM SCHIAVONE - BREWER

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Tim began his career in the early 2000's working in the restaurant industry as a line cook. Over the next few years, his love and passion for food developed exponentially as he began working at the Porter Beer Bar. There, he was introduced to craft beer and absolutely fell in love, leading him to delve into the world of home brewing and begin learning his craft. After several years of brewing beer on his own, he started working at Wrecking Bar Brewpub and got his first job as a professional brewer.

In 2012, he moved on from Wrecking Bar to become the head brewer at Max Lager’s. Under the direction of Brewmaster John Roberts, Tim began to hone his skills as a craft brewer, with a particular focus on hoppy American IPAs, lager brewing, and mixed culture brewing. After a couple of years of working with John and receiving an outpouring of industry support, Tim began to realize his full potential. With several opportunities from that point, including  working for Brickstore Pub and brewing at Twain’s Brewpub under Mike Castagno, he ultimately left Max Lager‘s to pursue his dream: opening a brewpub. 

In the midst of it all, he met Cory Burke and the two knew instantly that one day, they would pursue this brewpub dream together. 

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CORY BURKE - CHEF

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Cory has been a longtime lover of hoppy beer, heady food, and having a creative outlet in combining the two. In pursuit of bringing that passion to life, Cory founded Roti Rolls,  one of Charleston’s very first food trucks. 

In 2016, Cory moved to Atlanta from Charleston with the sole vision of expanding the Roti Rolls business. Having participated in Atlanta food festivals since 2012, he and his partners decided it was the best place to grow their farm-to-truck concept. Since then, Roti Rolls has traveled the country from coast to coast, selling food in over 23 states across the US. Roti Rolls received top honor in 2019 from Food Network claiming the magazine cover of the top 26 food trucks in the country! 

Prior to this, Cory had the privilege of working for Eric Warnstedt at Hen of the Wood Restaurant in Vermont. Cory not only got exposed to a legit farm-to-table restaurant, but was introduced to the importance of maintaining loyalty to your farmers and purveyors. This ideal was seen from top to bottom and created a great vibe in which you could taste the reward in the food. In addition to this, he learned about and enjoyed many fresh beers first hand at the Alchemist Brewpub from their inception. From the first sip of Holy Cow and Heady Topper off the cask, he knew he wanted to open, and BE, a part of something special. A brewpub. 

Upon unpacking the moving truck on his very first night in ATL, he decided to get a beer at Brickstore Pub where he met Tim Schiavone. The rest is history.

ROB HAYES - HUNTER

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Rob is a part of the team because he is seeking his Best End. 

Prior to 2015, he had a successful career in the power generation business, spending his last few years as a senior officer in a variety of companies all owned by the same private equity firm. Throughout those years, and the many cross-country relocations that accompanied them, he dreamed of one day returning home to Atlanta to be a part of something that combined his business skills with his appreciation of good food and good beer. 

When Rob met Tim and Cory, he knew that Best End was what he had been working for. Their passion to craft excellent beer and food while maintaining the utmost respect for the ingredients used struck a chord.   

As a long time outdoorsman, Rob has always felt a real connection to the things he consumes, hunting and fishing not for trophies, but for things that can be brought to the table with honor and respect. Rob is proud to now be a part of offering a brewpub experience that showcases this same honor and respect in every dish and glass we serve. 

meet our management team

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VALERIE ALBANESE - GENERAL MANAGER

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Valerie’s love of food has been apparent since she was a little girl. While her friends were out climbing trees and riding bikes, Valerie was in the kitchen with her mom learning how to make vinaigrettes, cook pasta al dente, and sear pork chops. 

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A native of Atlanta, Valerie moved to New York City after high school to pursue her love of all things culinary. There, she spent 10 years working for an analyst at a hedge fund by day, and by night she sought opportunities to further her knowledge in the kitchen.  After staging for Chef Marco Canora at his celebrated restaurant, Hearth, she enrolled in the French Culinary Institute's Italian Culinary Experience program where she studied under renowned Michelin Star Chef Cesare Casella. From there, Valerie moved to Italy and worked under Chef Maurizio Marsili in the Tuscan city of Lucca, who showed her what it means to have true, authentic passion and love for food and its intentional preparation. 

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Upon moving back to the US, Valerie managed Caffé at the acclaimed Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder, and while living in Colorado her interest in beer, its origins, and its relationship to food began to blossom.  After realizing that her culinary passions extended further than just the kitchen alone, she dove deep into the world of beer and in 2017 became a Certified Cicerone. With a strong desire to combine her love of food, beer, and people, she moved back home to pursue a career in the burgeoning world of craft beer down south.

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Valerie joins the Best End team as our General Manager, where she puts her skills as a Chef, Cicerone, and self-proclaimed Hospitality Guru to good use. When not on the floor of our brewpub, you can find her roaming the streets of Atlanta in search of the best biscuits, pizza, and fries the city has to offer.