Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/21004
Hawaii native Anuhea Hawkins, a youthful 35, trained as a dancer, but caught the wine bug on a trip to Paris. The mother of two had the extra challenge of Have Corkscrew, Will Travel: Desmond Echavarrie of Julian Serrano at ARIA. studying for her First Level pin from the International Sommelier Guild while pregnant. “I was very sensitive to sulfur and acidity,” she recalls. At Nove Italiano in the fast-paced Palms resort, Anu says, “Italian wine can be very daunting,” but “people are willing to experiment, especially if I’m confi dent in what I’m serving.” On days off, she also instructs for ISG. Though he holds degrees from the CIA and UNLV, Douglas Kim, 24, jokes that it took a word from his mom over the counter of her Chicago dry cleaning business to client Charlie Trotter to get Doug’s foot in the door of Restaurant Charlie. The Certifi ed Somm now assists MS William Sherer at the esteemed Aureole. “With such a tight knit commu- nity,” says Doug of Vegas, “it’s a great climate to learn in.” Kim Wood, 32, toyed with three different corporate career paths before a job at Dallas’s Pappas Brothers Steakhouse under MS Drew Hendricks settled things. Less than fi ve years later, with an Advanced Somm pin, he was tapped to help build the cellar at Jean- Georges Steakhouse at ARIA, the star chef’s latest Vegas outpost. Kim fi nds his pairings inspired not only by Vongerichten’s diverse menu but also the diners. “Las Vegas is exceptionally worldly. It’s not uncommon in one evening to have guests from Mexico, Spain, Italy and France, and they’re very savvy about wine.” Milwaukee’s Dustin Drankiewicz, 26, has only been in Vegas four months, but the former mixologist for the SURG Restaurant Group has wasted no time making his mark at downtown’s Vanguard Lounge. “I never understood these bartenders making it into a magic show,” he says. Instead, Dustin likes updating clas- sics with seasonal ingredients and original twists. “When I see something replicated, it’s no longer interesting.” Mariena Mercer, 27, cut her teeth as the “Tequila Goddess” at Chef Mark Sandoval’s Isla. But as GM of the new Cosmopolitan resort’s dramatic Chandelier bar (one of three mixologists in the property’s ambitious program), the Vegas local is clearly more than a pretty face. Drawing on molecular techniques and ingredients like genever, bacon-infused bourbon, sezchuan buttons and lemon verbena, Mariena boasts, “Beverage has never been executed like this in Vegas. We have over 150 specialty cocktails.” december 2010 / the tasting panel / 105