The Changeover

I was sitting in a Chinese restaurant one afternoon in 2010, staring off into space when I noticed that the bar area of this particular establishment was actually quite nice. The materials, construction, design and physical layout were all visually appealing. As I sat and ate, I started to fill the areas of the bar in with coffee service equipment.  It looked like it would make for a new and different coffee experience, but it needed something else.  I then added beer and wine equipment and the idea of a boutique café/gastropub began to take shape.

That is when the obsession really started to grow. 

At the time, I was invested very heavily into the coffee industry but not so much wine and beer- Those two were more like hobbies and interests than serious investments in career-specific knowledge. In order to create an environment that served the best of all three, I needed to learn more about the other two.

I had plans to try and open in late 2011, but after reviewing what I wanted to provide- as well as reviewing my competition- I decided that it was best I step back and take a moment to really learn exactly what I’m getting myself into.

So here I am now…about to take the leap into the next step with the Court of Master Sommeliers, then Cicerone Beer Sommelier Course after that. I do plan to travel to “Old World” wine countries in the next year or so, before settling down to open my gastropub.

There are a lot of exciting things happening in the next year or so…so much, in fact, that it is a little scary.

I think that’s enough background on me for now…let’s get onto the fun stuff. Wine, beer, food and the journeys in between!