Geremie Callaghan and her husband, Jeff, were on their third date, at LeBistro, on Bannister’s Wharf at Newport Harbor in 1993.
The cozy restaurant proved to be a pleasant surprise. Tucked away on the second and third floor in a building at the wharf, it was a quiet spot with nice views that felt worlds away from the crowds in Newport.
“What a fluke to know that we’re in the heart of downtown Newport,” Geremie Callaghan recalled Jeff saying on that date.
The memory stuck with her.
Years later, after a circuitous path that included marriage, moving to New York City and career stops in both music and cosmetics, Geremie and Jeff Callaghan ended up buying that restaurant in 2007.
In a play on Jeff’s remark years earlier, they renamed it Fluke, which also happens to be a type of flounder. A fitting name for an establishment that has plenty of fresh seafood offerings.
Fluke Newport can seat 80 patrons, said Callaghan, complete with Narragansett Bay sunsets, cocktails featuring fresh-pressed juices, and ample wine-by-the-glass options.
‘While we are competitors, there is a deep sense of community in Newport.’
GEREMIE CALLAGHAN, Fluke Newport co-owner
Fluke Newport was a winner of a 2017 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence and was named a 2013 Yankee Magazine Editor’s Choice pick for “Best Seaside Spirits.”
But before Fluke, neither of the Callaghans – both Rhode Island natives – had ever owned a restaurant. Jeff worked in the wine industry, in sales.
Geremie Callaghan’s road to the restaurant industry was a winding one.
Born in Newport, Callaghan attended elementary school in Rhode Island. Her father was in the U.S. Navy and was later stationed at the American embassy in Germany.
Interested in travel, she earned a bachelor’s degree in European studies, politics and government from the University of Kent in Canterbury, England. She spent her junior year in Munich and learned to speak German.
She took a job with the German company Bertelsmann Music Group, which had a music publishing division in New York City. Callaghan worked in the finance department, doing some light translating when communication with the company’s overseas offices was needed.
“There was actually a recording studio on the same floor,” said Callaghan. “On my way to my office, it wasn’t unusual to be with musicians, their trumpets and upright bass in the elevator.”
She furthered her education in an entirely new field, earning a Master of Professional Studies degree in cosmetics and fragrances marketing and management from New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology in 2003.
For 12 years, Callaghan worked as executive director of global marketing for cosmetics giant Estee Lauder. During this time, she met Tommy Hilfiger, Donna Karan and Michael Kors and led the launch of Karan’s DKNY Be Delicious fragrances for men and women.
“It was very interesting to work on, to be in a position where I saw the whole product-development process,” she said. “There was a lot of 11th-hour problem-solving – a lot like working in a restaurant.”
After another career move to serve as marketing director of another cosmetics company, Callaghan said she and her husband were ready for a change.
“We had met in Rhode Island and lived in New York City for 15 years. We were talking about moving home,” said Callaghan. They wanted to be closer to family back in the Ocean State and, with Jeff Callaghan’s work contract coming to an end, it seemed like a good opportunity to relocate.
Without a plan in place, both Callaghans gave notice at their jobs in New York and left their 450-square-foot apartment on the Upper West Side – home for 15 years – behind.
“So we quit our jobs and couch-surfed” with friends and family in Rhode Island, Geremie Callaghan said, until the restaurant concept came to them and the property became available.
She credits the establishment’s staff and chef Eddie Montalvo as big factors in Fluke Newport’s success. Seasonal workers come back year after year, up to 30 employees overall in the high season. Year-rounders have been part of the team for years – a rarity in an industry with high turnover, Callaghan said.
She said that the industry overall has seen massive change in terms of technology. There are razor-thin profit margins and competition not only from other restaurants, but also from things such as meal kits. Fresh, local fish helps Fluke Newport provide something unique, along with a nice environment in which to dine for residents, tourists or sailors.
“People use the phrase ‘hidden gem’ for Fluke, and I love it,” said Callaghan.
Her newest role is as a board member of Discover Newport. Callaghan is also on the advisory board for Discover Newport’s Restaurant Week. As a board member, she will act on behalf of all restaurants, she said, advocating for the businesses overall.
“While we are competitors, there is a deep sense of community in Newport,” she said. “Bannister’s Wharf area restaurants work together.”
She recounted how she was walking to Fluke Newport one night carrying live lobsters, having gotten them from another restaurant when Fluke ran out.
“I’m happy to be an ambassador for this small corner of the world,” she said.