Ep. 719 Yannick Benjamin | Voices

Welcome to the Italian wine podcast. I'm Cynthia Chaaplin, 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. Hi, everybody. I've got Yannick Benjamin here with me today. Yannick is a New York City based Sommelier and restaurateur. In two thousand and three, a car accident paralyzed Yannick, but he didn't stop. He kept going with his dreams moving forward. Became an advanced sommelier with the Court of Master sommeliers and worked at a glittering array of top restaurants in New York City for the past twenty years. He's also a para athlete who's competed in several marathons, And in twenty twelve, Vionic co founded wheeling forward and wine on wheels. Both are organizations that focus on events that raise funds and awareness to aid employment for disabled in wine industry. And just this month, November twenty twenty one, He was awarded wine enthusiasts Sommelier beverage director of the year. I actually met Yannick in Verona in June twenty twenty one when we were both judges for five star wines in Verona. My personal memories of you Yannick involved that beautiful night sitting outside in Piazza bra at that gorgeous dinner hosted by Villa Sandy, drinking some wonderful Italian wines with a great bunch of colleagues. So I really am so grateful to you for coming on today, and having a chat with me. So first of all, I wanted to congratulate you on your award from wine enthusiast Were you shocked or did you have an idea this was coming? No. I was certainly, very shocked and honored and, you know, all of the above. It had announced the nominees along with some really fabulous professionals and friends that I highly respect. And so, just being nominated with such a with such an honor. Well, we're so happy for you. What what does the title mean to you? What does it mean for how you'll move forward in your business from now on? Well, I think the the most important thing is that, obviously, you know, this does give me some kind of a, a platform. And, you know, I guess some validation for all of my work that I've done, all the the good things, all the struggles, truly a a building block to where I'm at now. And I really wanna take advantage of that and really share that platform with other people with disabilities with other people from marginalized communities and help them get their foot in the door. And what I think is a wonderful industry, both the wine and hospitality industry, but certainly we still have a long way to go when it comes to inclusivity. And that's what I really wanna do with that that that platform? Well, you're an amazing role model, for everybody who has any challenge in front of them and wants to enter the wine sector or the hospitality sector. We all know it's not easy. Often a lot of struggles for people who haven't got any other issues in their life. So it's an amazing recognition of everything you've achieved, so I'm so happy for you. Just just after I met you, in June, you opened your first restaurant in East Harlem called Contento, I love the name. Can you explain the meaning of it to everybody and why you chose that name? Well, thank you very much. Yes. The name Contento, you know, when I was thinking of names for the actual rest, and I re I really wanted names that exude positivity names that would be memorable and easy to pronounce for all people. And so I I was doing Google searches. I was on Google translate, and I I I I picked words that would best describe myself and my philosophy. And that was the word happy and happy came up as Contento. Not only did it mean happy in Spanish, but also in Italian. And I thought it was such a perfect name for East Harlem in particular, because East Harlem was predominantly Italian Italian immigrants in the late eighteen hundreds up until about the nineteen forties, nineteen fifties, and then it transitioned into mostly central, South American, and Puerto Rican. It's known now as Avario. So I really wanted to pay homage to all of these really important personalities, to these immigrant groups because East Harlem is what it is today because of them, and this is a way to kinda thank them for it. The story behind that is is so amazing. It really is a melting pot and, has become such a cultural area since I lived in Brooklyn way back in the late eighties. So I'm excited that you took the took the opportunity to put Contento in such a vibrant part of New York that really can use some some high end and and inclusive places for people to gather. So I think that's an amazing story. Contento is certainly no ordinary restaurant. In fact, the guiding focus for the development was to create a restaurant that barrier free and accessible to everyone, guests, and employees included. Obviously, the idea must have sprung from your own experiences, but can you sort of fill in the blanks for our listeners of how you dreamt up this concept and how you managed to actually make it happen, especially despite the COVID pandemic. You know, what does what does barrier free mean in terms of a restaurant? Right. And, thank you for your question. And the way it came about was when I was in a car accident in two thousand three, I was twenty five years old. And prior to that, I had always worked in restaurants. My family is in the industry. So pretty much by the age of thirteen years old, I had made a firm decision that this is what I wanted to do. I wanted to be in the hospitality industry Well, I had this car accident. I'm a paraplegic, so I'm a full time wheelchair user. And you can only imagine how complicated and how difficult and the amount of obstacles it took for me to get back into the industry and really prove myself and show people that people with the abilities could work and could bring value to the hospitality and wine industry. And I had a mentor who's also a paraplegic. His name is George Gallego, and we've done a lot of nonprofit work together. We've done a lot of work for the community. He actually lives right down the from where Contento is currently. And he reached out to me. He knew that I really wanted to open up a small wine bar or restaurant. And he said, Yannik, I think I have a spot for you that you might be interested in. And so we looked at it and I said, oh my god, this is incredible. Was even more incredible was how inexpensive the rent was. Very low rent. And I said, let's do it. Let's make this happen. And the concept for it was that it was really important. One, that we build it out and make sure that I could get their enroll in and roll out and and serve the guests really comfortably and get behind the bar and make cocktails if I needed to. But secondly, to make sure that also the physical layout was comfortable for people with all types of disabilities. So obviously people with wheelchairs, but also people that come in that might be part of the low vision and blind community and who have guide dogs and making sure that the guide dogs are also in a place where they're very comfortable and a very safe place. But I think the third thing that's really most important, and I say this all the time, you can create the most perfect universal barrier free designed restaurant. But if you don't have that culture of empathy. If you don't have that culture of knowing how to deal with people, particular people with disabilities, it means absolutely nothing. And I think that people who have disabilities who come to us It's unbelievable. I mean, I would say about five to ten percent of the guests that come to our restaurant on a nightly basis have a disability. Right? So that's really incredible. Meaning that if you build it, if you build that culture of welcoming, you're gonna get people. They're gonna come there, and people with disabilities wanna spend money. And so they the reason why they don't go out to restaurants or they don't go out to other businesses or support other businesses is because they don't feel welcomed or the facilities haven't been built to make them feel welcome. So, again, we're in no position, especially post pandemic. Globally, And this is not just a New York thing or United States thing, but a global this is a global thing. And I'm speaking to everybody that if you build that universal design, it's not gonna cost you. It's not gonna make you go broke. You will see your return on investment. And then if you get some training, get people within the community, and teach your step on how to deal with people with disabilities. I am telling you you're going to see a greater increase. And what's better than to have diversity in your restaurant? Because that's what it's all about. Let's such a warm and genuinely heartfelt message that I think, yeah, in these days, the world is lacking a bit of that and could really do with more of that, not only in New York, but I pretty much everywhere. So I I now want to come to content though and see it for myself, but it's I think also, you know, giving people the opportunity to have fun to, you know, maybe just put down the challenges of their disability to share the same space with able-bodied friends and family and, you know, really have fun and have it in an easy, comfortable, you know, welcoming, as you said, and and really inclusive way is something extraordinary that you've created. I think that's just amazing. So, obviously, well deserved award this year, yannick. I I'm dying to come to content as soon as I'm back in the States. I was reading up, of course, and the the restaurant's been really, really well received in New York. Lots of great reviews from New York times, Wall Street Journal, you know, you just mentioned you come from a family of restaurateurs, and you've been in the business yourself since you were so young, you know how hard it is to run a restaurant. How have you gotten the motivation to to make this happen, make this be so successful? What's the vision for the future? Now that we're hopefully heading out of the pandemic. Where do you wanna go? First thing, I wanna really emphasize is that, you know, with Continental restaurant, we certainly don't wanna be known as the first restaurant who's putting a strong emphasis on making sure the restaurant is barrier free for all communities. Are you the first? Do you know? No. I I I don't there probably are others, but I mean, sometimes I get people who tell me that. I'm like, I don't really care, to be honest with you because I don't wanna be the last. And so I hope Absolutely. And I so I hope that other restaurants and other companies see this model and say, wow, look at that. You know, look at the work that they're doing and look how busy they are. And maybe they reach out to me and say, Hey, Yanik, do you mind helping us out with our concept? Cause we wanna improve our model. We wanna make sure that we're more inclusive. So I think that's where the future's at. I hope that people will begin to and and they have already, to be honest with you, but especially when we go into the new year, that people realize that Hey, what they're doing at Contento, they're in this off the beaten path street, you know, very quiet. You know, there's lots of construction. But yet, we get people from all over coming to us, right, from all backgrounds. So I hope that they reach out to us and say, hey, we would love to learn more about your model because we wanna improve what we're currently doing at our restaurants. And I think that's the greatest thing that can happen. That's that's incredible. I I love that philosophy of I don't wanna be the last. I think that is really says a lot about you as a role model. Some people are quite happy to sort of die on the hill of their own fame, but that's not where you're going with this. So that's that's a very cool attitude that to something that is, you know, a lot of hard work running a restaurant is is not an easy thing to do under the best of circumstances. So the fact that you pulled this off, you know, in the midst of a global pandemic and that it's working for you and that people are responding so positively to it. It says a lot about what's happening at Contento. So I I think that's amazing. Don't be the last. I really hope you're not the last. We need more. I certainly hope so too. I mean, I wanna just say one thing too. One one thing that really makes contental special, and I think it's not really mentioned. We have two investors that have a disability. There are are kind of like, our class b, whatever, you know, behind the scenes. Right? But they have a disability. And then you take myself, George Gallego, and we have two other individuals that work at Contental that have a disability. And we're a small restaurant. So six people that are actually involved with the Contental project have a disability. And I think that's really amazing. That says a lot. It's it's being a leader. That's really being a leader, and and you're also putting your money where your mouth is. You're employing people, you're partnering with people who are facing the challenges of disability that you really want to put a spotlight on. So I think that's leadership, you know, summed up very nicely indeed. And and I know that your dedication to supporting people living with disabilities extends outside of your restaurant. Tell me a little bit about wheeling forward and wine on wheels. What's what's your goal in terms of helping disabled guests and and people who are interested in joining the industry? What's happening with those two initiatives? Yeah. Thank you for your question. Again, so it's been incredibly challenging, the last two years since, you know, we had the shutdown in March of twenty twenty. Right? And it's amazing because it's gonna it's gonna be two years. I can't believe the the end of the years right around the corner. But, I'm excited about the first quarter of next year. There's a there's something that I'm I'm developing. It's called the Salera project. And what we will be doing with the Salera project is we're gonna be hosting people with disabilities And we're gonna have them on a table, and we're gonna be serving some food and serving some wine. And there'll be a a specific conversation. There'll be a theme. So it could be wines of South America paired with food of South America. And along with that conversation, we'll talk about current events that are currently happening in that specific region. Right? And I think one of the biggest issues that I see happening in our community when I say our community people with disabilities is that they're not getting the kind of stimulation They're not getting the kind of information that they need to be able to succeed in the workforce. That's such an interesting point. I think that's something that doesn't occur to most people. That's a very interesting point of a lack of stimulation for people who have limited ability to access outside of home. That's incredible. Well, yeah. And thank you. Thank you for recognizing that. So that's what we wanna do. Right? And we wanna be able to give people some information, conversational pieces. But again, feeling stimulated. Right? And then the the conversation will have people who come in, who will lead maybe a class on, you know, resume writing, how to save money. And what we really want too is we really wanna create these individuals and build them up and hopefully Other restaurants, other companies, maybe even wineries or wine companies will join us and take on some of these individuals that we're training as paid interns or even possibilities where they can work with them because people with disabilities really want to work and they have so much to offer. No. They really do. It sounds like you're just gonna combine amazing food, amazing wine, and a whole mentorship program that could really have a far reaching sort of effect. My brother's a chef owner of a restaurant in Florida, and I'm gonna make him listen to this because that's an incredible initiative, especially the mentorship aspect. I think that's probably something that's also a little bit less accessible to people who struggle to to find things outside of home. That is correct. That is absolutely correct. And so we wanna definitely, make that a point for the new year. And it's a very exciting, and I I can't wait. So I really am so excited about it, Cynthia. It sounds amazing. Well, listen, if you ever need an Italian wine Ambassador to come and do an Italian wine night at Contento, you you've got my number. I'll I'll get on a plane. I'll be right there. Absolutely. Well, we can always do it on Zoom. That's the beauty of it too. That's true. That's true. I mean, it is nice getting back in person though, but, yes, Zoom, Zoom is all things to all people these days. There's no getting around it. So besides doing all of this outreach and building all of these programs, what's your actual role at Contento now? I mean, clearly, you're the beverage director, but what else are you doing there? You know, that that's making you excited to get up every morning. Well, listen. When you have a restaurant, especially you have, a small restaurant, and especially during this time of COVID, where it's really challenging to find people, you know, the labor force is it's a it's a challenging time. For the hospitality industry. I think globally as well. I I know I talked to people in England. I've talked to people in Italy. I talked to people in France. Trying to get people to work full time and be dedicated at the restaurant is certainly a challenge. Sure. And people are frightened too. There's a fear element. So There's a lot to deal with mental health wise as well as, as two years of having sat at home by now. Absolutely. Well, sudden, I completely agree with you. I mean, people and some people have what you call an invisible disability, compromised immune system. So if I completely understand that But so in my case, I'm I'm what you would call the beverage director, but I mean, many nights, I've had to take a station, work as a waiter, I've had to work as a host or a MetroD to see people, which is what I do a lot of. And then also really just kinda getting out the community and networking and and keeping the restaurant relevant and and kind of being your own spokesperson and PR person for the actual restaurant itself. So you really have to be a jack of all trades. If If you're gonna own a restaurant, you know, the idea that you'll just you'll just be one title and that's it. You're gonna just set yourself up for failure. You have to have the ability to be able to do a lot. I completely agree. I think that's sort of a holistic approach. Again, it's it's role modeling, and keeping your finger on the pulse of everything that's happening in your business is really crucial to success. So I think that kind of an approach is, not only is positive. But it really keeps you understanding everything that's going on in every corner of your business and engaging with everybody on every level. So but I'm I'm gonna go over to my geeky side now because, of course, I'm I'm a wine woman. So I'm dying to hear about your wine list at Contento. How how do you choose the wines? How big is the list? You know, what's your philosophy about wines? Are you a natural wine guy? You know, what have you got on there? Yeah. I mean, I think the most I don't know what I am, but I love wines from all around the world. And I think if it's good, it's good. I think the most important thing that I really tried to do with the wine list is to, you know, I did definitely. There there are some wines that are very geeky. But also making sure that there are wines that are recognizable for other people who might just like a good Malbec from Argentina or nice cabernet sauvignon or Merlo from the west coast of California. Things of that nature. So this is a really incredible mix. We have wines from We have Lebanon. We have Morocco. We have Israel. Georgia. Armenia represented on the list. So we have a strong representation of Italy and Spain. I love those wines. And of course, France, So, again, if you if you look at the wine list, I mean, the one thing that I I get complimented on is how incredibly eclectic it is. They like the titles. I have different titles for each sections. Right? It's not the traditional sense. Oh, give me an example. What are they called? Yeah. So Yeah. So the first, section of the wine list is called the wines of impact. So these are these are wines made by people from either marginalized communities or our winemakers that are really conscious of the environment. That are really having either a social or an environmental impact. We have one winery on the list. I'll give you an example very quickly. It's called Kishore Vineyards, and they're out in the galilee out in Northern Israel. And everybody that works on this winery except for the winemaker has an intellectual disability. So that they employ people with intellectual disability. So they have a a sense of purpose, a place to go to, and they're being productive. So that's just an example of taking an agricultural product, taking a product that we're also passionate about that we love, but also it is having a positive impact on our society. Well, and of course that area of the world really was birthplace of wine. So it's nice to hear about sort of a rebirth, a meaningful rebirth that's taking place in, in that area, you know, what was historically in ancient times, the Levant. That's that's incredible. I I like the wines from there, but I didn't know about that winery, so I'll be writing that I'm also gonna have to get you to to send me a copy of your wine list. I I love reading wine lists tragic. I know, but it sounds like a really good one. So I'd love to see it. I'm just gonna ask you what's what's coming up for your new year. You know, I know you're you're active in your community outreach. What's what's going on, you know, obviously, Salera. Do you ever get any time to sleep? Do you get a vacation? You you seem so busy. That's a great question. So definitely, you know, as I said, with the nonprofit work, it's been in hibernation for the last few months. But we're gonna go back at it full blast coming January. We have a facility called the access project, which is gonna be a couple of blocks away from, Continental restaurant. And the facility, is it gonna be a wellness and physical fitness center for people with disabilities? And that's where we're gonna be hosting a lot of the Salera project, classes there. That's fantastic. Who's gonna teach? Have you got special people coming in? People from all I mean, it might be just you as well. You know, I haven't, like, I think people from all around the world, people here in New York, some, you know, chefs, it'll be sommeliers, it'll be people who work at wineries. So it's gonna be a mixed bag. I mean, so it's not gonna just be limited to just wine itself. But we'll have classes on beer, classes on sake, non alcoholic drinks. Just the anthropology of, and social aspects of how food and wine and beer came about and how they impact society. So a lot of interesting conversations and guest lectures from major universities from that have financial backgrounds as well along with people that are in law. Things of that nature. Again, it's gonna be a mixed bag, but again, it's all about empowerment for a a community that is often forgotten and doesn't have the resources given to them so they can succeed. That's fantastic. I understand what you mean about wasting a human resource, especially when people are so anxious to work have so much value to bring to the table. It's it's important. How are you getting the message out there aside from this podcast? How are you advertising? Where are you gonna get your, I guess you'd call them students for Salera? Where are they coming from? Well, luckily, I I have a long list from my years of, already, you know, being part of the nonprofit of one on wheels since two thousand twelve. And then I'm I'm I'm collaborating with my dear friend and partner also at Contento. George Diego, we have a very long list of names. That we know of people that are really interested and and are flirting with the idea of perhaps being involved with the hospitality and wine industry. So we'll be reaching out to them, but it won't just be limited to people in New York. You know, we're also gonna have people who might live in California or any part of the world and have them zoomed in if they if they wanna be part of it. So, again, it's not just in New York or an American thing. It's a global thing. We want people who have disabilities to succeed from all around the world, from Italy to France to India to Thailand, to you name it. This is we want this to really be a barrier free organization. It sounds like you better buckle up, Yannick. You're gonna have a wait list before you know it. It just it sounds exciting and vibrant. And if that message gets out there, I I think you better get ready to to hire a massive people. That's that's a really incredible thing to be getting wheels on. Well, I'm I'm gonna wrap this up because I get in trouble if I run on too loud although I'm enjoying myself. So I could probably carry on this conversation for a good long while, but you and I met, you know, here in Italy drinking Italian wine, and of course this is Italian wine podcast. So I just wanna ask you, you know, what's your favorite Italian wine? And and when would you crack open a bottle of of that? Who would you share it with? Well, I I, you know, when the last time I was in Italy was in June, and I had a an incredible visit at at Montin Italy, which is out in Tuscany, And I I love their vernatcha that they make. The vernatcha de Sanjay Mignano. It's clean. It's crisp, and it's got this oily texture to it as well. I I'm a big fan of Italian white wines. Alright. And if you come to, Contento, you'll notice that I have, you know, a pretty strong selection of of Italian white wines. I also love what they're doing in Mount Aetna. I pour the Benati and the Rosa, the nerillo Mescalese from them, which people just absolutely love. I love those crunchy, red fruited styles of Italian wines. And of course, I love wines from the Alto Pimonte, but in particular, I also love the Valtelina. And I love what they're doing. These guys called Deruppy. I had a great visit with them a few years ago. I love the way Nebula would just shine to kind of alpine style of wines. I think it's absolutely stunning. Well, there there we go. We have to continue this conversation because, you're singing my song, some of my favorite wines. I love those textured whites that that really only exist in Italy. So I'm so glad you've got them on your list and that you're a fan. Verinaccia is Vernacho Sanjay Muniano's one of my favorites. So that's good to know. I will be very happy. I'll be very contento when I come to contento. Exactly. It had to be said. It had to be set. But, Yanna, I wanna thank you so much for giving us your time today and and letting us hear about all the really meaningful things that you've got coming for your community and the outreach that you're making and how open and genuine you are about what you're trying to achieve and how you wanna support people. It's really inspirational, and this was a really fun half hour for me. So thank you so much for joining us today. Thank you so much. And I just wanna tell everybody. Stay calm, breathe, push forward because you're never too old to dream and believe in magic. Absolutely. Total agreement. Thanks again, Janek. It's been great talking to you today. Thank you so much, Cynthia. Have a great day. Thank you. Thank you for listening. And remember to tune in next Wednesday when I'll be chatting with another fascinating guest. Italian wine podcast is among the leading wine podcast in the world and the only one with a daily show. Tune in every day and discover all our different shows. You can find us at Italian wine podcast dot com, SoundCloud, Spotify, Himalaya, or wherever you get your pods. Hi, guys. I'm Joy Livingston, and 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. 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