Sherryfest

Early influences in life always have a way of filtering back into adulthood. As a young child, I became enchanted with tea, which is still my morning and afternoon beverage of choice, rather than coffee. My passionate connection with tea began sitting at the dining room table with my grandmother while our loose leaf orange tea brewed in her powder blue and gold flecked teapot. At an early age I'm sure the flavor of my tea was much more about the three or four sugar cubes I added to my great grandmother's antique tea cups, atop their matching saucers. Today, the sugar is much less, if any, and the antique tea cups and saucers are tucked away in storage but there is never a morning while my Ceylon Nuwara Eliya brews, that the pastimes of my family enjoying tea do not come to mind.

Sensory memory can be powerful, and it took months and months of being mesmerized by Sherry before I realized that one of the main reasons I was drawn to this historic and diverse beverage revolved around my early years of enjoying tea (and later years of enjoying tequila). I fell head over heals for Sherry on first taste years ago, but it wasn't until tasting some rare Amontillado and Palo Cortado more recently, when tea descriptors crept into the mix that I realized the connection. And not shocking, Sherry just like tea (especially to Americans) can be a tough sell. There are stereotypes and misconceptions of Sherry and tea, yet both are seeing quite the resurrection in beverage programs throughout the country. Sherry recently received much celebration, from those professionals around the world who are more than passionate about changing the face of Sherry, at Sherryfest in New York City. In addition to having Bodegas from the rich bounty that is Jerez, another facet of Sherryfest was absolutely exhilarating ... a new book on the subject, 'Sherry, Manzanilla & Montilla' by Peter Liem and Jesus Barquin. 

It's exciting to see a modern, authoritative book on the subject of Sherry, that also includes Montilla as it is quite important, despite it not being included in the Jerez DO.

Hanging out at Terrior is never dull. The knowledgeable staff pulled out a few tricks, since I carry most of the Sherry they had on the shelves. Macvin du Jura ... Sherry has some competition for my affection.

The Grand Tasting at The Ace Hotel followed by lunch at the Gramercy Tavern bar. Cheers to GT for embracing quite the Sherry selection.

To say most of us were like kids on Christmas morning would be an understatement. Red and green from El Maestro Sierra, pure bliss.

 Have you ever walked into a room that was intoxicating with its energy? Aromas of Sherry will do that to a room full of wine professionals ... times ten.

Rocks, incredible aromas, and the glow of Sherry.

Sherryfest proved that the once celebrated beverage is on a serious comeback, no longer being painted into a sugary sweet corner. From the east coast to the west, restaurants are taking Sherry off the back page of wine lists and retailers are sharing the good word of Jerez with their many, loyal fans. And while Sherry may still be a tough sell, with the writing of Peter Liem, as well as quite the undertaking in the New York Times from Eric Asimov, here, here, here and here ... it looks like Sherry might be shedding that one note song of sweetness, and showing its true colors.

Want to get in on all that Sherry has to offer, check out those hot spots in Chicago showcasing the diverse fortified wine here ... and take a class on the subject, details at Vera.

Grateful Reflection

The holidays and new year always bring about much reflection, and in a time when so many have seen recent tragedy, this year's reflections are grateful ones, that fill both my house and business.

Celebrating our one year anniversary at Vera was quite exciting, and believe me there was a moment of ... 'Phew, we made it!'. As I look over my shoulder at the year gone by, I see the twists and turns of learning, teaching, inspiration, disappointment, frustration, long nights and even longer days, optimism, friendship, love and most of all hope. Dreams may come true, but they don't continue without dedication to your craft. That same long look over the shoulder also has me nostalgic for a few days gone by in the hospitality industry, yet conjures hopefulness for the future. 

Professions of all sorts reference the phrase 'separating the men from the boys', where the superstars stand out from mediocrity or what seems today to be the norm. In the hospitality profession (yes, it is a profession that people choose to follow as a career), there is a huge "class difference" in those that take the world of hospitality serious and work the craft from those that dump on and/or take the business of restaurants for granted. 

From the outside looking in, owning a restaurant probably seems glamorous ... it looks like we're hosting a well stocked party every night and I wish I could tell you that it is in fact a glamorous life, but it's not. Don't get me wrong, there are amazingly fun (and tasty) moments in the hospitality business, but at the end of the day, that is exactly what it is, a business and working in that business with grace is an art. So, if you've worked a successful corporate job your entire career and are thinking of retiring and opening a bar, because you think it would be fun ... and that running a restaurant or bar is a hobby, here's a newsflash ... you're not about to retire! If you want your "little hobby" to be successful, you're about to work harder and tax your body and mind more than you ever did at that desk job. Not to shit on your corporate career, but that is exactly what you're doing on mine when you think so little of hospitality work. That same attitude of retiring to own a bar, seems to take hold with so many Americans that are out of work. If I as a successful Sommelier and Wine Director get laid off, because my position has been eliminated due to budget cuts, I wouldn't think I could get a job working as physical therapist for the Notre Dame football team, just because I'm an ND football fan. Why? Because this craft takes years of education, training, certification, research of emerging trends, more education, care and dedication. Guess what? So does being a hospitality professional, whether that is as a Chef, line cook, back waiter, busser, bartender, manager etc., so why do you think when your day job doesn't work out, that you can "just get a job waiting tables". While dining in restaurants may be commonplace, successfully running them and working in them isn't. There are different levels of training, education, care, dedication, certification and hours of hands on experience that hospitality professionals must engage in throughout their careers. So, just because you threw a fabulous dinner party, do not think that you can work in a thriving, successful, well run restaurant ... it's truly not that easy. 

But the attitude towards the business of restaurants and bars unfortunately does not begin with the outsiders of hospitality, it begins with those of us who work in it. Again, if you're a physical therapist do you go to work drunk? Do you have a couple drinks with two hours left to go in your work day? When your clients come to see you for an appointment, after they've had their knee inspected do you have a shot together? If you're an exceptional, professional physical therapist and you've had a rough day in physical therapy and you get your pay check do you go out for seven hours, drinking and snorting all that money up your nose? I'm going to go with answering no to these questions. So, why because we serve alcohol in a sociable, lively environment, do so many in the hospitality business think so little of the profession that they come to work wasted, get wasted at work, get wasted every day after work, snort $100 worth of a night up their nose and then get shitty when they don't make $300 the next night, to compensate for their own bad decision  making? Enjoying oneself for an evening or two out on the town is one thing, to not respect yourself or the hospitality profession enough to work in it sober is one of the many reasons that other businesses don't take us (those who work the craft and enjoy taking care of people) seriously. Unfortunately, this isn't the biggest problem of the profession, though it is a cancer to any restaurant or bar. The biggest plague to restaurants and the attitude in and towards them, is mediocrity. The attitude of good enough, will destroy any business and restaurants are no exception. Before signing on 1023 W. Lake, we looked at hundreds of locations, and one of which is a restaurant that is still open. Mark and I had to look at the location early in the morning, after the restaurant had been open the night before. To say that the restaurant was disgusting would be an understatement. Chunks of food on the floor in the dining room from the previous night's service. The service station had dirty linen lining the shelves that held plates, glasses and silverware, linen that wasn't dirty from one service shift, dirty from weeks of shifts. A huge cigarette urn, for the employees, graced the walk from the back door to the patio which guests would have to walk by to enjoy outdoor dining. The owner even mentioned, as a selling point, that there was a dedicated area to smoke for employees. The decor looked like a cross between a bad 80's movie set and a bar in your favorite college town. Clearly, no one in the building really cared much to pick up food off the floor, to have a clean, inviting atmosphere for when purveyors walk in to do business, as well as when the doors open for guests. It's also no surprise why this restaurant is for sale. Of course, there are a zillion reasons why businesses don't succeed, including great restaurants, but if you control the controllable at a level of excellence, then it makes managing other aspects of your business easy, to a point of success. 

So, yes I'm grateful, as are those professionals that work with and around me for not letting mediocrity seep into my business as we take on our second year. Yes, you do have to sweep the floor entirely so there isn't chunks of food left for the mop to push around. Yes, you do have to come to work sober. Yes, you do have to study food, wine, service and hospitality, on a continual basis. Yes, you do have to come to work and have an appearance as if you're going on a first date. Yes, you must follow trends and new innovation in the hospitality world. Yes, you have to put out the best plate at 5:00 pm and 10:00 pm. Yes, you must smile and be inviting at all times to guests in my restaurant. Yes, you must provide more than good food, good wine and good service because that isn't enough anymore. Yes, you must create exceptional moments for guests, because hospitality is a form of entertainment. Yes, you must create menus without typos. Yes, you must answer the phone with a smile, because guests can hear it in your voice. Yes, you must provide an honest service to the guest and not over charge them for items to line your own pockets. Yes, you are expected not to steal from the house. In turn, I will treat you with respect, give you the tools you need to do your job, feed you (very, very well), pay you more than a fair wage, provide an education for free that individuals pay hundreds of dollars for, allow you to work with amazing food, wine and more, and hopefully provide you with the opportunity to make choices to lead a life of quality. If that makes me hard to work for ... then so be it, because I won't be bullied by mediocrity and my business mirror shows me a grand image of  grateful reflection.

Dig

One of the foundations of this blog is wine, makes sense, as the wine and service industry is the underpinning of much of my career. And while I love to geek out on wine, food, pairings, small production large format bottles, Sherry and exclusive summer rosés, the majority of the time, while running the business does allow me to work with these treasures, I rarely have the opportunity to write about them in a public forum. Instead I share stories of wine makers and farmers with our guests everyday, and encourage everyone to embrace a full experience at my wine bar and restaurant, whether it be to pair Fino Sherry and Boquerones or Rosé Bubbles with tomatoes and Manchego cheese.  But everyday doesn't get to be all Fino and Flor, Chinon and Chocolate Chip cookies... nope, sometimes owning a restaurant is messy.

Last year, during various terrible rain storms many of my friend's restaurants flooded. During one such evening, I watched a dear friend in a lovely outfit she had worked the floor in all evening roll up her sleeves and bail water, it wasn't pretty, yet she kept smiling her way through it ... because there wasn't (and isn't) an alternative, when you're dedicated to your craft. After a recent down pour in the city, many restaurants again went through something similar to last year ... water, damage, loss and countless hours of repair and time spent on and reacting to a problem in which most business owners find themselves powerless. Is this a natural disaster? No. And in the wake of the storm that is about to descend upon a community that showed much resilience just seven years ago this week, I know how fortunate I am to only have lost some product and time. But when you put your blood, sweat and tears into a business, where the thought of a "day off" never really exists, you might get frustrated and want to quit after a night of dealing with your offices taking in copious amounts of water, because it would just be easier. But instead you do one thing ... you dig. You dig deep into your soul, and figure out why it is that even the worst days can't keep you from continuing on with a dream. You dig for that dedication you have for your team and figure out, where do we go from here and how can we always do things better. You dig for wisdom and understanding, whether it be from within or with those by your side, those that dig deep within themselves and follow their own dedication, which allows them to be inspired. You dig for the energy that hard work truly demands, hard work that challenges your body during a fifteen hour day and your mind to take care of the business and still throw a party for your guests no matter the challenges that may face you in the basement.

Storms, literally and figuratively, always have a way of working back into a calm. After weathering a bit of a storm, I spent a little less than two hours finding a bit of inspiration, from a movie no less, and of course I am not alone in this response to Jiro Dreams of Sushi. While the account of Jiro needs no specific commentary, I will say these few points on a movie that made a few storms seem like a light fall mist ... if you don't "get" this movie then you don't have what it takes to survive in a successful restaurant, this is a movie that should be required viewing for anyone who claims to be a true hospitality professional, because it covers something beyond passion which is dedication and craftsmanship, and lastly ... while Jiro is one of a kind, as is his restaurant, he made me remember why I dig. Cheers!

Photo Booth

 Bucket of Goodies

Corked 

Space

Little Gem 

Pingus Barrels 

Pisto Manchego 

Prep 

Beauty. History. Time. Place.

My Grandmother was Right

Multiple lyrics wax poetically to us in various harmonies that breaking up is hard to do ... but breaking up is just a smaller part in what is hardest of all ... growing up. Growing and learning is a continual journey for anyone in life, but growing up, that's different. Growing up is when you realize there is no safety net when you fall. Growing up is falling again and again, yet getting back up because that's what people do ... or they don't but then that isn't really being grown up, now is it?

Growing up usually teaches you one important thing ... you don't know shit. Seriously, because before you're grown, you think you know everything. One of the wisest women I've known in my life is my grandmother, she didn't have years of education but she was wise nonetheless (and knew how to throw one hell of a party). She used to tell me that teenagers and thirty something's think they know everything. Along the same lines of a little bit of knowledge can be dangerous, teenagers and thirty something's have lived just long enough to encompass a bit of life experience but not quite enough to make all the right decisions. I say this as a former teenager and a now thirty something. 

My grandmother also used to tell me that children had two ears and one mouth for a reason, such a nice way for her to tell me that I should shut up and listen most of the time. I try to remember those words, since now as a business owner and more than ever in the world of social media ... no one really seems to be listening and everyone has an answer that is better than what you're currently doing. Other words from my grandmother, used to hint that the years you spend on this earth can give you an insurmountable education outside of the classroom. Wise in years always seem so much wiser as you get older.

There is not a doubt in my mind that I'm in the hospitality business because of my grandparents. They threw the best parties when I was a kid, assisting with greeting guests, appetizers and clean up were some of my favorite jobs ... those are jobs that I have been doing in some form or another for the last twenty plus years. Little did I know that my grandfather's amazing palate, passion for cooking and thirst for knowledge in literature and geography, would lead to a life entrenched in food and wine. Just as my grandmother's ability to make the simplest breakfast table seem fancy, with precious stemware and her grasp of business and bookkeeping would eventually lead to, through many years filled with obstacles ... let's call them blood, sweat and tears, owning a business, a family business.

There are so many things great business women, don't tell you before you jump into the deep end of owning a restaurant.  But what I know is this, as soon as you think you know everything, you know nothing ... so keep working, constantly making changes to keep your business fresh, new and inspiring. Also, I have two ears and one mouth for a reason (so do you), so remember that one of the most important aspects of business is listening rather than talking. Be hospitable, in everything you do, and not just because people are paying you, but because you truly like to entertain people as if they are guests in your home. And clean up after yourself, because no one wants to wake up to a mess. In other words ... my Grandmother was right.

Back Page be Damned

Upon returning stateside from a red wine extravaganza, a perfect way to begin the Summer of Riesling was with a recent Terry Thiese tasting, with the German and Austrian producers in tow, having Terry in attendance was an added bonus on a sweltering afternoon. And while the acid from the first day of summer is still keeping my palate fresher than the best box of Altoids, and posts of Spain continue to marinate ... the recent press on my beloved Sherry has me giddy as a schoolgirl on Christmas morning.

In case you haven't heard ... I dig on Sherry, and have been doing so for a few years. It wasn't until the opening of Vera just under a year ago that my love for this once cherished wine was able to be set free.  Studying and tasting Sherry, has opened, or broadened, my palate into an understanding that Sherry is layered and complex, but not all that confusing. That is usually my one quibble with most press on the subject, if you're understanding just a fraction of the many layers of Burgundy, then I promise Sherry isn't all that confusing. Is there much history? Of course. Is it misunderstood? What wine in some form or another isn't? The basics of Sherry are easy, any essential wine book can give you a grasp on the subject. And for some great reading, and inspiration to this post, if you want to know which producers are some of the best read Eric Asimov's articles and blogs on the subject ... here, here and here. My point, and one of my gigantic soapboxes that I get on each day has to do with where we are placing Sherry on wine lists and retails shelves, how some producers are bottling and the double-edged sword of it all.

First, and there may be disagreement, Fino in a restaurant setting is never going to do anyone any favors in a 750ml format. If you are to become a part of the #SherryRevolution you will thank me for this later. You're welcome. As a woman who is in the business of pushing Sherry, hard, and in hard I mean anywhere from 50 - 90 glasses a week, Fino and Manzanilla will not stay fresh, and that is key, in a 750ml.

Eric Asimov's articles talk about small producers, this is so important when it comes to freshness in the Fino and Manzanilla realm. We live in a world, where size does matter and here the smaller the bottle the better, preferably in 375ml. When we get into the Amontillado, Palo Cortado, Oloroso, (some Moscatel) and Pedro Ximenez categories the 750ml is fine, especially in terms of VORS.

While retail is a bit different, given that the bottles aren't already open at the time of purchase the 750ml debate is a bit different, but fresh is fresh so why not sell the freshest?

Sherry has been living in a double-edged sword world, which all wine is subject to ... the consumer or guest stops buying, and if we as wine professionals can't sell it with the threat of something "going bad", we stop buying it. Or worse, we only buy one style ... the sweet stuff, so now the sole access one has to Sherry is Moscatel or Pedro Ximenez, usually from huge producers, and it's on the back page of wine lists or on the bottom shelf of your favorite retailer with the "rest" of the sweet wines. For the love of your palate, Sherry is meant to be enjoyed from the beginning to the end of a meal. Staff education is a whole other subject to tackle, but ...there truly is a Sherry for every point of your dinner that can replace what you might call a traditional pairing ... Apertif, White Wine, Red Wine and Dessert.

Don't believe me? Come see us at Vera, or a handful of other spots that are spreading the Revolutionary message, because when it comes to Sherry ... let the wine list's back page be damned. Cheers!

Wrapping

A whirlwind tour to a foreign country can leave one feeling lightheaded for a moment. Whether it's the altitude or excitement of being in Spain, wrapping your wine soaked brain around the copious amounts of jamon, sheep filled green pastures, vine laden land, and much hospitality can be sensory overload, to say the least. But ... after hundreds of photos snapped and revisited, the trip to Spain is no longer such a blur and the vast difference between new and old school approaches to life, architecture, philosophy and wine is beginning to come into focus. While it can be said of many a country, the divide of modern versus traditional, is quite apparent in Spain, showcased in many walks of life as well as in food and wine. As someone who put a wine program together, featuring the differences of Old School vs. New School in Spain the diversity was not only interesting, but quite pleasing.

Pinpointing one highlight of the trip will be more than difficult, but an afternoon with Alejandro Fernandez is currently topping the charts. However, the curiosity compass is reeling with questions ... in DO rules of white wine, levels of quality versus aging requirements, "refreshing" old vintages and much more. So, while the wine soaked brain eases back into the joy of a buzzing restaurant stateside, much on the Spanish experience will unfold in continued wrapping. Cheers!