Byron’s Bottle Shop: Adventures on the Wine Trail
Welcome back to another edition of Byron’s Bottle Shop. For those new to the blog, I’m Oyster Sunday’s digital marketing guy, and in my spare time, I love exploring the wine world. Thanks for stopping by!
Byron Lo
Senior Manager, Digital Marketing
Oyster Sunday
A trip down memory lane
In college, I wanted to work in movies. In the summers, I sought out internships at glitzy film studios with the hopes of getting a small taste of the industry. To my luck, this brought me to Los Angeles and New York where I worked in studio lots and office cubicles, learning about different roles and working on (frankly) remedial tasks, but feeling no less inspired.
You may have heard about chefs “staging” or “trailing” in restaurants – more formally known as stagiares – a form of internship, typically unpaid, where a chef cooks for a short amount of time in another establishment to learn new techniques. And while the practice of staging is its own discourse, many chefs point to these experiences as educational and inspiring, particularly in the early phases of their careers.
Fast forward to today, I’ve left my movie aspirations behind and discovered a new love working in the hospitality industry. And just like in college, I’ve felt that same desire to jump in and learn all I can about this industry, which got me thinking about how I could stage in my spare time.
Back in November, I had the opportunity to trail sommeliers at two excellent New York City establishments, Union Square Café and the former Momofuku Ko. These were new experiences for me, and they exposed me to the day-to-day of being a sommelier and running a thoughtful beverage program. Admittedly I was super nervous, but I put on a brave face, threw on a dress shirt and comfortable shoes, and headed into my first pre-service.
The days began similarly at both restaurants. About an hour before service, we filled wine buckets with ice and placed them strategically across the restaurant for access during the shift. Next, we reviewed the “by the glass” options for that evening, and gathered enough bottles of each from the cellar to last throughout the night. Shortly after, it was time for family meal, where I sat down with the sommelier I’d be shadowing, and we chatted about his journey in wine over creamy polenta and braised beef.
Afterwards, it was time for lineup, where the entire staff circles up in one room, and the chef and General Manager give a rundown of the night ahead – how many covers, any updates to the menu, and notable guests in the private dining room.
And then it was showtime. Guests began filing in and the room started to buzz. Throughout the evening, I roamed the floor in lockstep with the sommelier, observed how he effortlessly walked guests through the wine list, and made runs to the cellar to retrieve requested bottles. Exploring the cellars was such a highlight – I was a kid in a candy store admiring their collections, and even more so their organization. Back in the dining room, I helped out with any special preparations needed for pours, from decanting to finding the right storage for bottles guests brought along to celebrate later in the meal. Throughout the night, I hopped in to help with others across the team. At one point, I found myself stationed at the entrance, greeting guests and guiding them to the host stand. After 6 hours, the dining room made its final decrescendo and it was time to go home. What a night!
Dining room at Momofuku Ko
While not all stage experiences are the same, you can always leave having learned so much. The simple act of stepping out of my usual day-to-day and experiencing another world taught me lessons that were both inspiring and refreshing, and I’d love to share a few of these with you:
Creating Value for the Guest. During my trail at Union Square Café, I spent time with the Beverage Director before service, who walked me through their methodology on creating the wine list. We discussed ideal pricing economics for bottles and pours, and stopped by a brief tasting with a local distributor specializing in French and Italian varietals. And while there are these financial and educational components of a wine program, he emphasized that these were all in service of what was most important: creating a valuable experience for the guest. I can tell he had a deep understanding of the restaurant’s clientele and was committed to exciting and also pushing them through his selections.
Intentional Hospitality. During my time at Momofuku Ko, I was eager to learn about its evolution. 15 years old and holding 2 Michelin stars at the time, Momofuku Ko had a significant impact on American dining and beyond. In 2008, David Chang ushered in a wave of dining that rejected many of the amenities of fine dining at the time in favor of compelling dishes, in some stories, going so far as to refuse substitutions. In between turns at Momofuku Ko, I sat down with the General Manager and asked if this had changed at all. She shared that Ko continued to embrace its pioneering values of imaginative cooking in a minimalist setting, but also shifted towards what she called “intentional hospitality.” In all aspects of their operation, they aimed to anticipate the needs of their guests in a genuine way, while also providing an environment where their staff was cared for and could grow. And yes, guests could ask for substitutions.
Belief. During lineup, one of the veteran sommeliers shared it was his last day after many years at Union Square Café. In his parting words with the team, he told us that he had never worked in an establishment that embodied hospitality quite like Union Square Café, and the defining ingredient was belief. This team was unified in exercising hospitality to their guests and to each other every day at the highest level, and he encouraged us to keep the faith and build on it too. And as I looked across the room, it was clear that each person knew exactly what he was talking about, and hell, I started to believe it too.
A massive thank you to Michael and Scott at Union Square Café and Jacqueline and Ryan at Momofuku Ko for being incredible hosts and teachers.
About Byron Lo
Oyster Sunday
Senior Manager, Digital Marketing
Byron is a digital marketer with a focus on growing food and beverage brands. Prior to Oyster Sunday, he worked at Instacart, where he strategized digital advertising campaigns for a broad client portfolio ranging from exciting emerging food startups to the world’s largest CPG brands. Byron began his career in the food industry at Banza, building out their sales and promotional strategy for natural and conventional grocers. When he's not at his desk, you can find Byron in Brooklyn strolling around his neighborhood wine shop.
