Ask Luke Brenner what he likes best—and hates most—about bartending at one of Newport’s most iconic restaurants, and the answer is the same.
“It’s the people, both ways,” he says. “You get some doing and saying things you wish you’d never heard, and others lifting you up. There are too many people these days just being inconsiderate, but then you run into someone sweet, and you’re back in business.”
The curly-headed, tattooed artist, surfer, former schoolteacher, and father of three has been a fixture behind the bar at The Clarke Cooke House in Newport, RI, on and off for a quarter of a century. Charming, funny, mischievous, with a story for every occasion, he’s an all-pro cocktail maker—and if you’re smart enough to be among the uplifting and sweet, he’s a gem. Be polite, and you’re good with Luke.
Drink-slinging prowess aside, Brenner is an accomplished artist, a graduate of the University of Hawaii, where he studied under renowned painter Pia Stern. His Impressionist-inspired style focuses on the intricacies and angles of light, emerging on canvas in portraiture and serene seascapes. His work can be found in numerous local galleries throughout Newport.
In the last five years, “I’ve been teaching myself to paint plein air (outdoors), and the beauty of it is you can create in real time and not be subject to your computer, camera, or memory. It’s a huge challenge, and it can be difficult because you have to bring a lot of tools. Then a bug flies into your paint, or you get distracted by the pickleball players on the court nearby who are yelling and swearing at each other. I’m nowhere near conquering it, but I’ve made huge strides.”
Painting is also a means of personal expression for Brenner, who joined scores of Newporters in mourning the tragic loss of 30-year-old Seamus Kirby in April 2024. “I’ve been hanging out with Kirbys since I was 12. I loved that kid—still love him,” said the native Newporter. As a means to process, Brenner decided to paint a portrait of Seamus that he gifted to the family.
“Painting has afforded me the means to communicate uniquely and personally in situations like this where there really are no words,” he said.
Since 2020, when I last interviewed him, much has changed at The Cooke House. “Life has happened to The Cooke House,” Brenner said, beginning with the retirement of General Manager and steerer of a tight ship, Michael Jenkins, followed by the death of longtime manager and newly minted GM Stefan Boneu’s beloved wife, Patricia.
“When we lost Patricia, a member of our family,” said Brenner, “it hit everyone very hard. We’re just a big family in that place, together all the time, and we have these incredible, unique, organic relationships. Half the kids here have been working as busboys and barbacks since they were young, and now they’re waiters and bartenders, taller than us. We’ve all been going through a lot, but we stick together.”
Next up for Brenner the artist is a plein air series he’s been invited to work on for a future exhibit at Fort Adams, and he’s also accepting commissions for new work. For the surfer: “It’s been flat, and the first tropical storm of the season fizzled out, but it got us watching and hoping.”
And for the bartender, it’s go, go, go. “Business has been record-breaking,” he said.


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