Sometimes there are people who leave finger prints on your soul. One such man who left a fingerprint on my soul was Frederick Brant Rentschler who passed last week in Scottsdale.
Henry Kravits of KKR introduced us as he was taking the reins over at Beatrice; the first leverage buyout. He told me that Fritz knew a lot about branding and sauces having run Hunt-Wesson. He told Fritz that there was someone he should meet (and by the way, she has sauces).
Rentschler, president of his class, earned his bachelor degree in economics and history from Vanderbilt in 1961 and went on to Harvard University, where he earned his MBA. Fritz was a Marine, former president and CEO of Northwest Airlines, Beatrice Co., Beatrice US Foods, Hunt-Wesson, Inc., and Armour-Dial. After his retirement in 1991, he married a gal from Scottsdale, owned and oversaw the Corral Creek Ranch, a working cattle ranch in Cameron, Montana and served on the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, the Heard Museum of Phoenix, Arizona, and the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California.
Rentschler, president of his class, earned his bachelor degree in economics and history from Vanderbilt in 1961 and went on to Harvard University, where he earned his MBA. Fritz was a Marine, former president and CEO of Northwest Airlines, Beatrice Co., Beatrice US Foods, Hunt-Wesson, Inc., and Armour-Dial. After his retirement in 1991, he married a gal from Scottsdale, owned and oversaw the Corral Creek Ranch, a working cattle ranch in Cameron, Montana and served on the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, the Heard Museum of Phoenix, Arizona, and the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California.
Fritz loved my BBQ and we built the cart of carts. He told me to go out with a rifle, not a shotgun and that my Lexington style BBQ was excellent and should be my “hero.” We put the cart on 5th Ave across from the Plaza and tested it through rain, cold, and yellow jacket attacks. We taught Yankees and foreigners about our Southern hospitality and addiction to a favorite NC food.
During that time, I also developed a tangy Asian sauce. Fritz named it “Never ‘Nuff Stuff” and said it was the best sauce he ever tasted...and that was something coming from the sauce man.
Fritz was very generous to my family, friends and even built Daddy his little medical clinic behind our Hillsborough home so he could come out of retirement. We entertained all over the world from Holland, Lake Como, Switzerland to Glen Eagles, Scotland. Excellent food and hospitality was always part of the agenda. Though we had different pulls - I was ocean and he mountains; I was East coast and he was West - I will forever be grateful for this wise, caring man and always be in gratitude. Thank you, Fritz. It was quite a journey.
