I'm a Breton (French National but with Celtic roots) who has lived in the United States since 1985. I originally came here because I was Rock-Crazy and thought New York City, the oozing center of graffitis, the Ramones and Lou Reed would be a perfect place to hang out in sweaty bars while jumping from the floor to the ceiling to the beat of the great Garage bands of the day (J Thunders, Lyres, Fleshtones, Crampsc etc)
As you may have heard, Rock'n'Roll rarely pays the bills, so I ended up working as a dishwasher in a French restaurant and soon was promoted waiter on the strength of my fabulous French accent. That proved to be a quite an asset everytime I dumped a cocktail on a customer and had to profusely apologize.
A couple of years after I'd arrived, I spent Thanksgiving with my Aunt and Uncle in Middle Village, Queens. To accompany the Turkey they had pulled out a old bottle of Bodeaux, a Cheval Blanc 1964. Although I'd never had a taste for wine in the past, I totally fell under the spell of this particular bottling (I would learn later that this was a serious bottle, considered one of the best wine made in the 60's). My obsessive nature took over and the following day I embarked on a lifelong voyage to learn everything I could about wine. In a desire to gauge my progression, I participated in a couple of wine competitions in 1996 and won that year the title of "Best Sommelier Northeast America" by Sopexa and finished 3rd in the Nationals
While I'd never thought of this new found passion as a carreer move, I was offered in 1995 the position of Chef Sommelier at Restaurant Daniel in New York, where I put together one of the best wine program in the country. We were awarded a "Grand Award" from the Wine Spectator in 2003. That same year I won the James Beard Award for "Best Wine Service in the USA".
After 10 exciting years working with Chef Daniel Boulud, I decided to leave to open a wine store in the West Village of NYC, my favorite 'hood. So far, so good. We have a great selection of artisanal wines and organize many tastings and seminars in a fun and relaxed ambiance.
Rock'n'Roll? YES, I still listen to a ton of it!!!!!!!!!!!!!
