Ep. 1111 Mandy Oser | Voices With Cynthia Chaplin

Welcome to the Italian wine podcast. This episode has been brought to you by the wine to wine business forum twenty twenty two. This year, we'll mark the ninth edition of the forum to be held on November seventh and eighth of twenty twenty two in Verona Italy. This year will be an exclusively in person edition. The main theme of the event will be all around wine communication. Tickets are on sale now. So for more information, please visit us at wine to wine dot net. Welcome to the Italian wine podcast. I'm Cynthia Chaplin, and this is voices. Every Wednesday, I will be sharing conversations with international wine industry professionals discussing issues in diversity, equity, and inclusion through their personal experiences, working in the field of wine. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and rate our show wherever you get your pods. Hello, and welcome to voices. Today, I'm really happy to welcome Mandy Oser. She is the owner of Ardija wine bar in House Kitchen in New York City, where she's highlighting a lot of lesser known and underappreciated people in our industry, including women led wine brands and wines that give back to charity, sort of unknown wine regions, and unusual or unique winemaking techniques, which are always very exciting. And often get left off more traditional wine lists. Mandy was a keynote speaker in the two thousand and twenty two women in wine leadership symposium, and she was recently named one of my enthusiasts future forty. So congratulations, and thank you for coming today. Thank you so much. Thank you for having me. So happy to be here. Well, it's a huge pleasure and always fun for me to talk to somebody from New York, and it's been a while since I've been back there. So, great to have you today. And I just wanna take a look at some background because I've been reading up. I'm a big stalker as most of my guests have discovered. And back in the day, when you were a student, you were a paralegal. So I wanna know what happened, what sparked this move away from law, and got you into hospitality because they are very different. They are indeed. They are indeed. I, you know, always kind of had a foot in restaurants and food and and worked in restaurants from teenage years on through college. Always thought it was going to be a side thing. Although it was always a really abiding passion. I always tell the story. I think I was seven or eight, and I asked to have my birthday party at the quote unquote hot new restaurant in town, which I think my parents allowed me to do, which was really funny. Oh, nice parents. Well, hot is relative in suburban New Jersey, but, in any event, I was pursuing a career in politics and law. And after graduating from Kenyan College. I landed in DC, worked on Capitol Hill for a few years, and then was sort of making my moves to prepare to go to law school and took a job as a paralegal. And just quickly realized it wasn't for me. It was a lot. It was very interesting, and I I actually learned skills that I used today. I know my way around an Excel spreadsheet, thanks to the good folks. That that trained me at that law firm. But it was something I don't know about the pace. It was and and I, you know, I think I really crave sort of seeing my work, seeing the result of my work a lot faster than you sometimes do in the world of law. And at that point, I just kind of hit pause. I said, let me let me figure out what I really wanna do and, like, a lot of mid twenties, people in their mid twenties, you know, a lot of people kind of if you don't have a really strong path already in place, it's a it's a good time to reassess. And that's what I did and, kept coming back to the idea of food, wine, and in that world, and started searching for something that that I could do, that that felt like a long term kind of thing. And that's you know, when I when I made the jump, it was about five years out of college. And, yeah, I can certainly talk more about that aspect as well, what I ended up doing. That is amazing. I think first of all, it hello to another Ohio girl. I I'm from Ohio. But, oh, nice. I think so many of us have that sort of, you know, especially people who are a little bit older to the wine world rather than newer, that experience of being, on one track. I was doing psychology, and then discovering that, for whatever reason, as you said, you know, it didn't like the speed of it, the results. I was kind of the same. Also, the kind of endless pressure. What I did was I took a job as the assistant, Eric preparer, who's the chef an owner of Laverne at an restaurant in New York. And quite honestly, at the time, I I barely knew who he was. It just seemed interesting. I had my family was back in New York. I thought it was a great way to kinda get back closer to them. And you know, at the time, and then the role grew over the years. I was I was with him, for almost a decade. And but it's it's interesting to me even in that time, just the people I met, kind of, in those behind the scenes, professional roles in hospitality. They they kind of they kind of grew as as the interest in chefs and restaurants grew culturally. So I think actually today, if one, like myself, we're kind of exploring quote unquote what to do in this industry. There'd be a lot more options, but then it was a lot more just touch and go. Build it as you build it as you go. And and, yeah, so I think it's interesting how that perspective evolved and how it might be different today if if one were declaring that they want to be in hospitality. Absolutely. I I completely yeah. I completely agree. And I I think it's seen as a really legitimate career at this point for and having a lot of different branches, you don't have to be a chef or a semelier. There's a lot. I mean, you were you ended up being director of strategic partnerships with Eric, which is, you know, not not sort of a job that people think about when they think about house fidelity, but it's an important one. So what were you doing at that point? Back, you know, it's two thousand three when I joined La Bernadette and even just family friends and, you know, no one sort of understood what I was doing. They would say, oh, do you do the ordering for the rest around? Are you a waiter? And I just knew I, you know, I wanted something more. I I didn't necessarily wanna be on the floor full time. And so, yeah, what what it was was it really grew as the business grew and as chef repairs sort of outside work grew with things like cookbooks and developed a TV show. And so even some of my legal training as it were came into play because there were a lot of contracts, and I would sort of be the first person to throw an eye on those, and also chef repair and and all of Bernadine are had a a big emphasis on philanthropy. And so one of the great aspects of the job was, was I was sort of the liaison with the organizations he supported outside of the restaurant. That was extremely rewarding. And so as the role grew and touched more and more aspects, then, you know, the title grew as well. And we we kinda created that title. And what's funny is now I see that, you know, when I first sort of ascended to that title, it was it was a bit new. And, you know, some people would be like, what? What do you do? What is that? But now I see that all the time. Yeah. Is that a made up thing exactly? It was. Exactly. But now I do. I see it all the time. I saw some, another celebrity chef. I saw an interface with one of his people and and their title is chief of staff. And I was like, yes. I love this, you know, and and it it really is sort of just evolved and and professionalized, and there are a lot more layers to to these organizations, especially the bigger hospitality groups. But, you know, even at the small ones, they're the the functions and the and the need for for that support remains. So it's it's opened a lot of lot of doors for sort of non floor, non culinary based roles in this world. Yeah. And I I think it reflects sort of the as I said, the legitimization of of hospitality as as a career. And all of the extra things that that can take place within, you know, that realm. As you said, not just being on the floor, but and and not just having a restaurant, but actually doing a lot of community outreach and and finding other ways to connect with with other things. So Totally. It sounds like you had an awesome gig there. So what kind of made you decide you were gonna open Ardesia and go it on your own? Yeah. Well, I will say that's it was a total dream job. I I loved. And that, you know, in contrast to sort of what I was leaving behind, it was the kind of job where no two days for the same. The pace was was really fast paced. We'd have an idea and we'd be able to just go ahead and execute it. So I loved that. I loved all the different types of people I was able to interact with. I'm also French speakers, so I love getting to practice my okay French, from time to time. But, you know, there was there is a sense, sort of, our compare is a little different than some of the other chefs like Danielle Blute or Jean George, who who are real spanchionists, and chef repair is really focused on La Bernadette and nurturing it. And and he, you know, has just created a lifestyle that's more New York based. And so there as time went on, then some of the responsibilities and things I did started to repeat. And then it started to feel a little, you know, not as fresh. And so I knew there weren't going to be you know, this was going to be the job, and it would sort of plateau. At a certain point. Yeah. And for me, the reason I went there and changed my whole life was because I wanted, you know, something super dynamic. And so and I'd always kind of had this little quiet desire to have my own place, in in the back my mind, and then it just sort of I see we all have that. You were brave. Yeah. But it started gelling, and the the passion for wine was something that developed over the years there. You know, I studied sort of on my own. Tried to absorb as much as I could on-site, even though that wasn't obviously my primary function. And then it just slowly came together, and then it just felt like the right moment to make the jump. And one thing I will say that's something I've learned from Shepherd Bear is just he's such a nurturer of people's passions and talents, and he one hundred percent supported my my dreams, even though that meant I would be leaving his organization. So I think that's something that's really stuck with me as well, but it's like, you know, give the people the support you're going to get the most out of them while they're with you. And then that relationship just is is lifelong. So that was a really beautiful aspect. It's so it's so amazing the difference that having a mentor like that that you trust and who trust you at that, you know, point in your life and in your career. The difference that can make in terms of your self confidence and, you know, and your courage and you're willing to kind of, you know, see your dreams and think, yeah, I can probably do that. So I wanna talk about RDSia now because I'm obsessed. And the next time I'm in New York, I'm definitely coming to see you. But I'm I'm curious about the name, first of all, because I know it means slate, which is described as I'm quoting from from my research. A natural and mysterious material with a minimalist color and structure, a dark gray material that can be split into thin layers. So I wanna know what could this how did this appeal to? Where did you come up with our digits? Very cool name. Well, I love that definition. I've actually never read that specific definition. I love that. But no lie. It's pre definitions crammed together, but I liked the wording. Oh. I'm I'm I'm going to steal that, for my own investigation. I, you know, it was we actually originally had thought about naming its slate. We liked the idea of blank slate and that we could sort of have a canvas, to that would allow us to evolve over the years. And then, actually, the name slate was taken already by a billiards hall that I think is still open in New York City, which I think ended up being a blessing in disguise because I think, you know, then we sort of just started looking for names that we really liked the sound of. And then we researched sleet in other languages, and in French and in other languages, it's it's just too, like, it's Arduaz and in French, and it sounds French. We wanted something that didn't have any connotation so that there wasn't an expectation of, oh, this is a French wine bar or an Italian wine bar because Ardija, even though it's Italian, to me, it didn't sound expressly Italian because that wasn't going to be our vibe, and and we wanted something that we could really allow us to play and build and evolve and something really neutral in a sense, but beautiful. And we just landed on Radesha. It took a long time naming things as really hard. That was probably the least fun aspect of of building the place. But, yeah, once we kind of landed on it, we fell in love with it and, yeah, haven't looked back. And then we kind of incorporated it into the design. So we have a monumental chalk wall where we write all the wines and some of the food and then the floors are asleep. So it's a little bit of a design element that we put in place as well. I saw that in my in my stocking, which which really impressed me because obviously it's not a name for you. You've incorporated it. As you said, in the design and kind of in the ethos of what you're doing there, I spent several years living very near a slate quarry in the northwest of England. So it it really appeals to me. And I I love the idea that you've created this name, which kind of was, you know, a difficult delivery to get there. But then it's not just a name. You're not just rubber stamping it. It's really become part of who you are, and I'll really appreciate that. And while you've been there, you've gained this incredible reputation for championing these wines that are not on all the usual lists, as I said before, especially wines from female lead wineries, which is a fashion of mine. And wine from unknown places. I live in a country where a lot of our best wines, not many people know about, so I like it when people are doing it. And wines that are using unusual techniques. So what got you interested in focusing on these kind of as you called them underappreciated and and lesser known kind of wise. What drives your choices? Where do you go hunting for these wines? Well, I think it kind of all works together. Right? So we have this place that we wanted to have kind of a blank canvas and then I think it really ties in with the fact that I didn't come up as a traditional floor sam, and I've kind of brought just my curiosity to the table. And so, you know, a lot of these choices and selections are driven by things that I just personally find interesting. I also think, you know, you see what is the point of having the same thing on every list? Because then you can what is the point of coming to us? So I just felt like when people come to us, we should, you know, we we we don't want people to feel intimidated, so we always have things that are familiar as well and recognizable. And, you know, for the person who just kinda wants to pop down and have a cold crisp glass of sauvignon blanc, that's we've got you covered. But then I just have a had a sense, especially over the years more and more that pea I think the the larger wine drinking community is just more and more curious and more and more open. We opened an o nine and from o nine to now. It's definitely been a sea change in terms of, I think, openness to lesser known regions and certainly a greater interest in thinking about the, you know, where the wine is coming from, who's behind the wine, you know, when we do highlight a special producer, I I just see the excitement, you know, and it's, oh, by the way, it's a female producer, or, you know, we've been pouring the wines of Aslena, who's, South Africa's first oh, I love. I love her. Yes. I mean, she's a wonderful person, and it's just, like, it just a joy to get to share those stories is I think the average wine consumer, if they're walking into their neighborhood shop, that, you know, they're they're maybe gonna go for something familiar when they come to us. This is where they can kind of play, and discover something new. And so in terms of sourcing, it's it's a mixture. It can be travel. It's it's a lot, you know, just we've developed such a wonderful core of wide vendors that we work with. And, you know, they kind of have it's almost like I have one of them who says, oh, this, I have a really Ardija wine for you. So so then, you know, I think we've almost gotten them to understand what we're looking for And so we're we we can be really lucky that sometimes it it's brought to us in a sense. But, yeah, and then through combination reading and just, even just tasting things at other places. And it's a combination of all those things, and then kind of bringing it together in a cohesive fashion because I always say, we don't want things on the list that are unusual just for the sake of being unusual. You know, like, they they need to be delicious. They need to be well made, you know. And then again, really looking now even beyond that and, and what are the practices of the vineyard. But, you know, what's going on behind the scenes? I think just everyone has gotten more interested in the, in the total picture. And it can be hard. These are far flung places So it's it's really relying on research and and talking to our vendors and and a mixture of things. But it's bottom line is it's it's really about curiosity and discovery. Are you enjoying this podcast? Don't forget to visit our YouTube channel, mama jumbo shrimp. For fascinating videos covering Stevie Kim and her travels across Italy and beyond, meeting winemakers, eating local foods and taking in the scenery. It sounds it sounds like a fantastic approach and one that I really, really, really like because you've clearly created you know, a space where people feel comfortable asking questions, trying something new, they're not gonna get judged if they don't know what it is. And I think a lot of that comes down to communication, you know, not not using our varial fashion kind of outdated wine language and and wine regions, as you said, you know, why have the same thing as everyone else when the world is becoming more aware of wines from other places, both domestically and and outside of the US? So I'm just wondering how you communicate all this, you know, great stuff that you've learned, you know, like Nikki Viola's wine that as a at us Lina on things. How are you communicating these wines that a lot of your customers probably haven't been exposed to? Is that written in your wine list, or is your staff Uber trained, and they can talk about this without using words like terroir and things like that that that put people off. How are you getting that out? Well, I think that's key actually. And because I was thinking about, you know, how do we create a welcoming environment and one that's not intimidating, and I think language is a big part of it, you know, kind trying to avoid showing off with big some LA words. And, you know, one thing I always ask the staff is to never correct someone if they're mispronouncing something. I it's just not necessary, and I think it makes people feel not good about themselves. So we you know, we try to do that and then, you know, always pouring little tastes if people are unsure. I mean, I think that is just the simple is in the best way to to gauge, and then it creates this connection, as well because, and, you know, it starts, it starts a conversation. That's so true. In an ice cream shop with a little taste, if you don't know what it is, you don't have to commit to the entire cone. So Exactly. But most most wine bars and and restaurants will not do that. So I think that's a really generous, an open approach to get people you know, kind of reeled into some new wines and feeling able to taste without committing to a bottle or even whole glass. I'm I love that ice cream shop analogy. It's perfect because it's, like, is there anything worse than not tasting a flavor, getting it, and not liking it and having to eat the whole thing or not. You know, it's I just you can see it in people's eyes when they don't love something, that they're drinking, and and I I don't like that. I don't want that. I don't want someone to sit there and a, not be satisfied and, b, be spending, you know, their their good money on something. So it is definitely an investment because it is that's a challenge. You know, the language is a challenge. The sometimes what a guest will say doesn't match. You know, the one good example is we we find a lot of people asking for full bodied pinot noirs. And maybe there are some, you know, California that have something other than pinot in them, and and but it but it then we have to parse. Is it the light bodied wine you're looking for or the fuller? And then literally the best way is just plop something in front of them and see how they react. But, you know, there's really nothing better than when you pour a taste and someone's, like, eyes light up and and they're just they've discovered something and they're happy about it. So I it's, yes, it's certainly an investment. And it's not like every single person who walks in tastes, it's also based on our, you know, for super busy. And, obviously, when we're less busy, it's easier to engage like that. But I think it's really worth the investment to kind of create that connection with the guests and and to make sure that what they're having is something they're really excited about. Absolutely. I mean, I've part of why I still continue to teach freshman university students on their semester abroad is exactly that. I mean, they they fit with your philosophy. They are a blank canvas, a blank slate. If you will, they they're pretty much unused to wine in the US. If they come from America, they aren't old enough to drink wine. And it it's really it's really amazing to see that light bulb moment where someone has a sip of something in their mouth that just blows them away and and really seduces them into the whole wine world. I I love those moments. So it's nice to know that you you're making that happen in a way that is realistic, you know, instead of just saying, well, here's the list, here's the notes, and, you know, you can sort of spin the wheel and hopefully you're gonna get a bottle if you like. That that connection of well, here. Let me give you something that I like and you taste it. Tell me what you think. I think that's it's very personal as well. In instructive but personal. Yeah. We have a few in terms of, like, how we actually communicate it to. We try to put what we call callouts. The menu, it's not notes under every wine, and it's not a key for every single wine, but it's When there's something really remarkable, we like to kinda quote unquote call it out. So it kind of, you know, on those days when we don't have as much time to engage, then at least the guests can see something, and we're actually about to relaunch our by the bottle list with, you know, sort of expanded, you know, it's an expanded interaction like that. Because I think it it's we don't want it to be so flat. We want it to have a little bit of life. And like I said, not every single guest, you're gonna be able to take ten minutes and taste through four wine. So it's like, how do we fill those fill that gap when we when we can't have that in-depth of an interaction? So that's that's one way we wanna do it sort of by having light information, but not overwhelming on on the page. That's such a good idea. It's a and it's appealing, you know, just a couple of lines is all you need, not not a paragraph. So and, you know, it's your night out. You don't wanna sit down and and read a, you know, one spectator review. So, no, that's a it's a really great approach. And I think, you know, what you are doing is exactly what you set out to do, you know, creating a really fun and informal inclusive environment where people don't feel intimidated and they do feel wanted, and that they can try things. I think that's that's amazing. My my my next point I wanna raise is another amazing thing that Ardija did or you did with Ardija. During the pandemic, you only closed for forty eight hours, which is incredible. My brother owns a restaurant in Florida. I know how absolutely difficult that pivot was, but you whipped up ways to to run business and and keep your employees working. And it's not easy. I mean, that was, like, was a hell of a of a mountain to climb. What did you do? How did you stay open? And you must hopefully have an undyingly loyal staff on the page Well, it is interesting because I do think it it did kind of transform everything for everyone. And I think for us, we just it was just like one foot in front of the other. And so the real turning point was when in in New York state, they the government quickly moved to allow us to deliver alcohol, which prior to the pandemic under the liquor license we hold, you're not allowed to do that. So I mean, we were all we were cryovacking things and throwing food out and free, you know, giving food away. And we thought we were done. And then that came into play. So then two days later, we're like, alright, we're a wine shop now. That's amazing. I mean, just fast thinking because it was overwhelming. So, you know, don't don't be too humble. That was the ability to think fast in a really tough moment. Yeah. And act, and I and I have to give credit to it was so my manager, Jordan, and then we had two chefs in the kitchen who were able to all of us stayed on, not one sort of gap in employment. Unfortunately, the rest of the staff we did after furlough, but we stayed in touch. We did a fundraiser. Like, we kind of did everything we could to support, and and we kind of went person by person to see what kind of safety net they had. And, luckily, there were a lot of safety nets for everyone, but for example, one of our chefs was about to have a baby. His wife was having a baby that April. And so we paid him to stay home because it was, as I'm sure you know, and as I was in Italy, it was just wild. Like, it was just so crazy here and so unknown. Absolutely. I don't think any of us will ever forget. No. It's so it's so visceral even just talking about it. But I think the the thing is with Jordan and I working side by side, we were able to be incredibly nimble. And because we're so small, we didn't have any layers. So we, as things started opening, then we decided to do a little pop up we have a we were very, very fortunate that we have a patio space. So, you know, we just kind of kept building. So then a couple days later, we opened our pop up. And then as each you know, restriction lifted or things change one way or the other, we would just adapt. And, you know, but then the flip side of it is we were really in a in a neighborhood. And so there were there were a lot of people still here, and it really worked together. They were looking for support. They were looking for outlets. There were people we would, you know, in the early days. I remember delivering for someone's anniversary, a a a chi a kid of cheese and wine and just getting the note saying, like, thank you so much for doing this. And then we have a lot of friends in the in the medical profession. We're right down the street from Mount Sinai. A lot of those folks live within blocks of us, we would deliver care packages to them and just, you know, kinda just kept rolling with it, until until things really fully open, but it was as I'm sure you know from your brother, just such a challenge to keep having to adapt, you know, never, never settling down into a routine because everything changed every few weeks. And then obviously, then things kind of rolled back when we had surges. So, yeah, I think the key was just being, like, nimble, being fast, listening to what the community wanted, and then, you know, obviously trying to keep everyone see. And I always joke that Jordan my manager and I meet. We didn't come within ten feet of one mother for, like, six weeks. It was just such a bizarre time. We would, you know, walk in the door separately, hatter at separate work areas. It was it was crazy. It was crazy. Yeah. Completely. Completely. And I think again, I think you're being humble with sort of underestimating the the amount of empathy and care that you are able to demonstrate because keeping your business going is one thing, but, you know, keeping an eye on your employees and keeping an eye on your neighborhood and responding and reacting to, you know, where you see needs is, you know, not something that we talk a lot about in our industry. We're always, you know, talk about sales and things like that. And that that human empathy and ability to take what you do well at Ardisa and, you know, transform it into something that was really helpful and responsive to your staff and to your neighborhood is is pretty huge. I mean, I think you you picked up more even than you admit to from Eric River, with the whole philanthropy sort of thing. I mean, I I know that you're doing a bunch of things outside of our d two two now that I hopefully knock on board the pandemic is over, but you're paying back. You're you're doing charitable work with things like the Fizz is female and city harvest. So I wanted to ask you a bit about that because I know you you took your lead from Eric as you were learning about the industry, and this is clearly stuck with you. So what's going on with your your outreach? I mean, absolutely. I think that lesson that that I absorbed from from seeing his actions, I think that a restaurant isn't an a or a bar or whatever cafe. It's not like this little island that's isolated. It's part of the fabric of the community. And I think if the pandemic taught us nothing else, taught us many things, but that's really that point was really driven home, you know, when we because, you know, we were questioning, you know, and no nobody knew what was safe to do. And should we be doing should we even be operating? And then when we got that response from the community, it really drove that point home that we aren't we aren't separate. We're a part of the community. And I think then that is what drives my desire to be really engaged with the community. So, you know, we happen to be in a neighborhood where there is a huge presence of the arts, just on our our block alone. There are four different theaters, little, you know, off Broadway things, community theaters. And so that's, like, that's been something we've long supported. This when we get a request or or schools. We're surrounded by schools and a lot of our clientele are parents. And, you know, we we kind of always wanna be open open to their needs and how we can support. And, you know, City harvests is just an organization that's near and dear to my heart. You know, their mission is is food rescue, food insecurity, teaching teaching in underserved communities about nutrition, and it just it's just such a wonderful, wonderful organization. And so over the years, we've done various events and initiatives with them, and and they're someone I want to always continue to support. And, yeah, and then the physicist female is a really fun initiative to raise money for breast cancer research that a friend of mine, had started. And we did a really fun kind of walk around tasting format, and it's fun to be able to kinda use what we do to then support events that can raise money because it just it's a win win. You know, you draw people in. They have a great experience, and then they're kind of more inspired, I think, to to open their open their pocketbooks and wallets. So, yeah, it's it's important. Absolutely. Absolutely. And, you know, when when you can, you know, provide an event like that in a space that already feels pretty comfortable, I think you encourage people to engage. You clearly love your neighborhood, so you're encouraging more people to love it as well, which is, you know, pretty great. That's it's as I said, it's not something that always happens in our industry, and it's great to see it, you know, on on scales like this where you're getting recognized for it and you're carrying on sort of empathy first. And that's that's really It's inspiring, and it's a great role model. I think. So you've you've already had a busy couple of years, obviously. This year, you were a keynote speaker at Women and Wine Leadership Symposium, which hopefully I'll be able to get to for the first time ever this year now that we don't have COVID anymore. And you got recognized as I said by wine enthusiasts for their future forties. So I have got to ask you what are your fashions in the industry right now? What's coming up in the next year? So you you said you hate slow results. What have you got planned? Yes. I do. But I think, you know, a lot of people always ask, oh, are you gonna open another? Are you gonna do something else? And I do think, you know, while we don't have specific plans, we would love to expand in some way. And that is certainly driven by the type of people who are part of Ardisha at this point in time. And, you know, I've called out Jordan, my my manager, and I think it would be we would love to do more together, and and create more opportunities for for our staff, our long time staff. But I think also just we're at a really, you know, the pandemic things felt like, a bit on pause. It was really, like, triage and just making it through. And we I finally feel like we can go back a bit to nurturing mode. And so we just launched staff beverage education program, which we're calling the Odicia staff wine club, which was something we wanted to do for ages. We were kind of working on it just before the pandemic, and, you know, it seems crazy to think that it's been on hold that long, but we finally launched. And so I'm really interested to continue nurturing the education platform, providing, you know, opportunities, even if if someone isn't on the beverage team yet, you know, we we make that that program open to everyone. And, you know, and and I really love the community outreach So I think it's really, you know, of course, we would love to expand in some way. But in the meantime, I think it's really deepening deepening the ties. We've we've sort of begun and and continuing to nurture our involvement in the community and and with developing our our team. Those are really things that excite me. Well, thank you so much for talking to me about this today. I'm sure that our listeners are more than delighted to hear you know, such a great story of experiences, you know, in a new business. You you haven't been doing all that long just over ten years at Ardesia, and having had the pandemic in the middle of it. It's nice to hear someone so positive and really quite clearly so truly and genuinely caring about your staff and your clients, not just lurching from crisis to crisis, but actually, sort of, right, taking, you know, taking the challenges and turning them into something that is inspiring and and really attractive. So I'm I'm so impressed, and I'm really grateful for for the conversation and such an uplifting one. So as I said, I will hopefully be back to New York soon and love to come and meet you in for Please do. Please do. I'd love to have you. Thank you so much for your time today, Mandy. I really appreciate it. Absolutely. Thanks for having me. We hope you enjoy today's episode brought to you by the wine to wine business forum twenty twenty two. This year, we'll mark the ninth edition of the forum to be held on November seventh and eighth twenty twenty two in verona Italy. Remember, tickets are on sale now. So for more information, please visit us at wine to wine dot net. Hi, guys. I'm Joy Lemings Denon. I am the producer of the Italian wine podcast. Thank you for listening. We are the only wine podcast that has been doing a daily show since the pandemic began. This is a labor of love and we are committed to bringing you free content every day. Of course, this takes time and effort not to mention the cost of equipment, production, and editing. We would be grateful for your donations, suggestions, quests and ideas. For more information on how to get in touch, go to Italian wine podcast dot com.