Final thoughts for 2008

Alas, the presidential election is over. It’s interesting to read and listen to reactions from family, friends, associates and others. No matter your political affiliation, I think it’s a great moment for the United States. And typing that word, “great,” feels like a tremendous understatement. There is still a huge racial divide in this country, and to see an African American elected president is a historic step forward. Further, listening to and reading foreign media we realize how much of the world was also holding its breath for the result of our election, and how far the wish for new leadership and attitude extended beyond our borders. That global hope was encouraging, because it showed that despite the distaste for the Bush administration, the world still looks to the United States for optimism and leadership—thankfully, we hadn’t destroyed that completely.

Speaking to restaurateurs and other business owners during these past years is a lesson in the political complexity. I gleaned from conversations that socially many lean to the left (or are outwardly libertarian), but might lean to the right (or are outwardly libertarian) for business reasons. Those fiscally conservative and libertarian beliefs took a beating the last eight years with the upturn in partisanship and the social conservatives gaining primary influence over the fiscal conservatives in the Republican party. For many, a vote to protect business interests often meant casting a vote against social beliefs.

What made the presidential election easier for many to pull the lever for Obama was the train wreck we find ourselves in economically. The “conservatives” many voted for in the past weren’t of the fiscal variety. Catapulting social-issues rhetoric as primary points of political debate finally got old, and a majority of people voted to improve the conditions that actually affect their day-to-day lives. Let’s hope that political rancor is just as old.


Samuelson surfaces

J.P. Samuelson called last month, returning the one I had made to him regarding our November issue, which featured restaurants celebrating anniversaries. He had also earned enough votes for inclusion in our Top 25 Chefs list. As we know, his restaurant closed, I didn’t expect to get a return call, and I moved on to include the next top vote-getter in the top 25 list. He laughed when I told him the purpose of my call was to report on jP American Bistro’s five-year anniversary. I don’t know Samuelson, but I always think it’s a grounded person who maintains a sense of humor when adversity strikes.

And he’s not hiding out. He appeared with Corner Table’s Scott Pampuch at the City Pages Iron Fork chef competition in October, and has otherwise kept his eyes open for opportunities. “There’s a few people interested in me doing some parties, and I’m putting the feelers out there, and seeing where we end up,” he said. “It’s a possibility of continuing to do private events and small catering things, but who knows. I’ve got a few resumes out, and there’s a possibility to move if the right thing comes up—but it’s not our preference; we’d like to stay here. But you just never know.”

Samuelson said the restaurant couldn’t endure the perfect storm of events during the last few years. “The biggest (cost) increase for us was natural gas, and the property taxes just went through the roof—it’s something that always had us behind the eight ball,” he said. “The endless (street) construction (on Lake Street and Lyndale Avenue, where the restaurant was located) just finally did us in. We just couldn’t get out from under it.”

The property taxes in Minneapolis have risen steeply in recent years, and many landlords have passed it quickly to their tenants—a move particularly hard on restaurants, which operate on tight margins. Samuelson said he’d look at another executive chef position, but he’s “not motivated” to try another venture himself at the moment. “And if I do it again, I wouldn’t put that kind of investment in something that I didn’t have a chance to buy,” he said. “But hindsight is always 20/20.”


Wine classes

A few months ago I mentioned in this space I enrolled in wine training classes through the International Sommeliers Guild. Well, I made it through the first two classes. I passed Level 1, a four-week excursion, with flying colors, as did the rest in my class. Level 2 certification was much more involved, required using the World Atlas of Wine as our textbook, and many tastings and discussions during the eight weeks of instruction. The instructor was Wil Bailey, the portfolio manager for The Wine Company in St. Paul. I know people who know a thing or two about wine, but Bailey’s knowledge was encyclopedic and thoughtful. It’s the latter term that makes a good teacher. We’ve all had them at one time or another in our lives, either at school or on the job. Someone who’s not just learned the textbook or routine, but also processed the information, thought about what it means, and is able to deliver an effective lesson. For someone who had no wine experience going in (other than drinking it), I came out with a barge-load of knowledge.

The Level 2 ISG class is a college-level course in its intensity, a fact I grasped after week one. Mashing the job and the class together was quite the challenge. After the months of instruction, the final exam was a three-parter: 100 question multiple choice, a six-question essay portion, and a blind tasting with four wines. I did well enough on the multiple choice and blind tastings to pass to the next level—actual sommelier certification with the ISG. But the essay portion? Er, no. This is where knowledge depth is tested. I nailed three questions, knew only half the answer for two, and drew nearly a complete blank on one. Going into the class with a grasp of world geography definitely helped, but there are also wine-producing countries’ regional breakdowns, soil and climate types and grape varieties.

There were a number of students from a previous class that signed up during our examination to retake the essay questions, and I wasn’t the only one in my class to blow that portion.

I took the class to expand my wine knowledge, food pairings and history, but also to expand my understanding of hospitality and service. I would certainly recommend these classes to any restaurant company who wishes to develop their staff’s wine knowledge—the Level 1 class provided a great overview of the world’s wine-growing regions and primary grape varieties, knowledge every server at restaurants wishing to emphasize a wine list. Level 2 I’d suggest to those interested in pursuing a career in wine, either as a sommelier or other capacity.

I also had a conversation with Bailey about the Guild and its goals. One of our tangents was the classes’ value for food and wine writers. We both agreed it was significant, whether the exams were passed or not. Do I need to retake my essay portion? No. I received far more than expected or needed out of it. But I will. I’m two-thirds of the way to being qualified to progress to the next level, which is sommelier certification. Might as well keep all of life’s options open.

I’ll write more details on the ISG coursework and other training organizations in future issues. For more information on the International Sommeliers Guild, visit www.internationalsommelier.com.