Moonlighting as a Sommelier-Part1

The Store closed around 6pm and after hours the two private rooms were booked with parties and events.  The Salespeople were scheduled for these events and we turned into Sommeliers for them.  Sometimes we would pick up new customers, but for the most part we were hired bartenders.  At all of these events, we were expected to make a speech.  The speech included a welcome to the store, about the store, and a brief description of all the wines for the evening.  Small parties were fine, but when you had more than 40 people in the large space, a speech could be merciless especially when the group has had some good drinking time in already.

These events are all family style and never enough seats for everyone which was a general complaint, but I understood why.  Standing room only makes guests leave faster, monitor their alcohol intake and they don’t linger long into the night.

I remember my first event.  It was in the large event space and for the most part I was the number 2, meaning, someone else was the Sommelier who gave the speech and I worked the 2^nd pouring table which is mandatory for a larger group.  Gertrude is very set in her ways and she has a very curt way of telling you how to do things.  Some basic rules are:

1)    Never turn your back to the group.  It’s rude

2)    Never pour too much, so you eyeballing skills better be spot on

3)    Never walk through the room.  Walk around it.  This was my favorite especially when I wanted to go pick up a napkin that was discarded in the middle of the floor.

4)    Never imbibe when testing the wines.  Always spit or swallow unless she’s not looking.

5)    Never tell her when you get a tip, otherwise you have to share it with her and everyone else who worked the event down to the dishwasher.  (I NEVER TOLD even when she tried to lure it out of me)

6)    Never leave open bottles on the table as you get to the end of the night.  The guests will think they have to drink it all.  Um, they did pay for it, right?

The worse events were the whole store events.  The store was converted into an additional eating and drinking space.  The desks were pushed together and a table cloth thrown over it to become a food table and the glass check-out counter became the third bar.  The only place to put your belongings was in the small event space which was never used simultaneously during one of these.  And, if you’re not careful, Gertrude will take your bag and throw it down the cellar stairs just because. 

In one of these services, guests are handed a glass of Prosecco when they arrive and sometimes there are a few additional wines for the cocktail hour.  Chef lays out all his finest cheeses and meats for noshing and usually everyone gets too full for dinner.  Once the host is ready, you ask everyone to take a seat and then the dance begins.  It is very essential to coordinate the wine with the Chef so that you are able to pour and talk about the wine before the next course is ready.  Because God forbid that a dish is ready and they are sitting waiting to be distributed, Chef would have your head.  Dishes must go out as soon as they are plated. 

Now in a place like this, it’s a set menu.  No one is ordering a la carte.  The host is responsible for letting us know if you have a vegetarian, someone with food allergies, etc.,  so that he can be prepared to make a substitute dish.  The food all comes in fresh the day of so there is nothing to be whipped up if someone surprises us with this information.  And it always happened and I was always amazed that Chef could find something and make it out of his ass.

Chef also had Michelin stars.  He made food to order and meats were always cooked to the temperature he thought was necessary for the meat to taste the best.  This was usually medium rare.  I had never eaten meat this way before and he really opened my eyes.  But, you’re always going to get that one person who wants it cooked more and I feared seeing the look on Chef’s face when I brought it back.  Mind you, he can see us and hear us as there is no wall between the dining room and kitchen, but I hated being that person to bring it back.  The guest is lucky there is no wall there as you never know what bodily fluids might be added to the returning dish.

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