Co-Owner of The Noortwyck & Oriana

One thing a mentor once said to me was, "As a wine person, you are going to get invited to lots of things–lunches, dinners, tastings. Those things are great, but getting asked to host them at your restaurant is the real goal."

When hiring, I want people to be earnest. The combination of trustworthy, nice and interesting is hard to define. I also believe the most attractive traits are those who take initiative and have follow through.

To be a good wine person, you have to be curious. Also as a sommelier, you have to care equally about the guest as you do the business that you run.

Personally I can find inspiration anywhere; a movie, a workout class, another restaurant. However, these days I am more focused on making sure that I am providing inspiration to the people around me.

For self-care, I work out sometimes, I travel a lot (which is my zen zone), and I play a lot of golf. I wish there was a better way to mix golf and wine and restaurants!

How to keep people engaged is a big part of my day. It's 90% of what I focus on, especially running a small restaurant. A lot of it is how I carry myself and making sure that I bring the best version of myself to work everyday. That means keeping people looped into the industry, talking about how to be better, being there with them, and keeping things light while also being focused.