The Tasting Panel magazine

July 2017

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42  /  the tasting panel  /  july 2017 How long have you worked in the hospitality industry and where did you work? I've been in the industry for 25 years, starting in 1989. I spent seven years making wine in France and California. What do you see as the biggest change in hospitality over the years? For me, it was the fact that when I started there were no sommeliers on the floor. In San Francisco, there were only three. I remember when Rubicon opened and Master Sommelier Larry Stone came to town. It was fascinating because not only did they have a Master Sommelier, but they had a team of sommeliers. Secondly, there really wasn't much of a wine culture outside of white-tablecloth, fine-dining restaurants, so even if there were sommeliers around, there was no wine-drinking culture to support it. Do you feel there is still a place for formal, or say efficient, structured service in the dining environment, with all the varied options of today? Yes, I do, but I think it can be cyclical. I feel there is a time for it and diners really appreciate and enjoy it. Is it everywhere? No. But it's still here and I don't see it going away. I also feel that training in formal service allows one to perform any type of service later in his or her career. I received most of my wine and service knowledge while working for a two-star restaurant with a formal service model, but after leaving, I went to work in higher-volume, more casual concepts. I found it easy to adapt since I knew the basic model of service. Q & Q & Q A & A & Learning on the Job by Eric Entrikin, Director of Wine Education at Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits / photos by John Curley Jim Rollston, MS, Wine Director at Michelin three- star restaurant Manresa in Los Gatos, CA, and Eric Entrikin, Director of Wine Education at Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits. MASTER SOMMELIER JIM ROLLSTON TALKS THROUGH THE LESSONS HE HAS LEARNED AFTER TWO AND A HALF DECADES IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

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