TCGP S2 E19 On location in Orlando with Guy Fieri, Christie Brinkley, Lisa Barlow and more.

Transcription

00:00:00
            

Cocktail. Welcome to The Cocktail Guru podcast, a. Show about food, drink, and entertainment with. A tight focus on the good life. And all things delicious, luxurious and fun.        

00:00:14
            

I'm Jonathan Pogash, bartender, author, TV personality, and founder of The Cocktail Guru. And I'm Jeffrey Pogash, wine and spirits, professional author, insatiable, collector of culinary and, so people tell me, an engaging laconto. And my dad.        

00:00:32
            

Hey, dad, I have a little message for you. Pomois message? Yes. Well, who is it from? Wait, actually, I have a call.        

00:00:43
            

There's a call coming in for you, dad. Wow. And a text message. You know who it is? No, I don't.        

00:00:52
            

It's Christy Brinkley. What? Yeah, she says hi. She says thank you so much for the other day. You mean it's the uptown girl?        

00:01:05
            

It's the one and only uptown girl. And you saw her? Yeah. You met her? I did.        

00:01:12
            

I went to Orlando. I went to Orlando a few weeks back for the Access Live conference, which is put on by WSWA Wine Spirits, wholesalers of America Association. And I was invited to not only be a judge, but also to MC, a competition called The Brand Battle, which was great. And Christy was there to talk about her Belisima wines. And she also had this really interesting Prosecco ice pop.        

00:01:39
            

Have you had a Prosecco ice pop before? Never. But I know that Belisima is a Prosecco, so sounds delicious. And I'm willing to try a Prosecco Ice Pop. And also dad, get this.        

00:01:55
            

You're a huge bravo, geek. Right. I'm a huge housewives geek. Well, that's very interesting that you say that, because I met a real housewife and a tequila entrepreneur, lisa Barlow. Wow.        

00:02:10
            

You mean from the housewives of Salt Lake City? The one and only.        

00:02:17
            

Why wasn't I with you? Wait. But, dad, there's more. Are you ready to go to Flavortown? Oh, no.        

00:02:26
            

Guy Fieri? Yes. 100%. No, he's a really great guy. It was awesome because we sat down outside in Orlando at Access Live, and we had some bottled water and cigars.        

00:02:38
            

He offered me some cigars. He makes his own line of cigar. And we also, of course, talked about his line of tequilas that he founded with Sammy Hagar Santos. Did you try it? Did you taste the tequila?        

00:02:51
            

I did. And you'll just have to see what happened. Well, you know, Guy Fieri is one of my gastronomic heroes, so I'm thrilled that you were able to meet him. Yeah, he's a really cool guy. I was thankful.        

00:03:05
            

And I also ran into some old friends over at Access Lab. We had some great chats about the industry and about things that are on our mind. It was really cool. Well, you'll see everybody at WSWA. That's true.        

00:03:19
            

I really wish that you could have been I wish you could have been there, dad. Yeah, I do, too. Thanks. Maybe you'll drag me along the next time. Well, maybe if it's in the budget, but I'll share some highlights.        

00:03:34
            

How about that? Why don't you give us some highlights, please? Let's do it. Highlights. Let's go.        

00:03:41
            

Okay. Hi, it's Jonathan again here at Access Live in Orlando and I am joined with none other than Lisa Barlow. How are you? So good. I'm so glad we get to chat here in Orlando.        

00:03:57
            

I know. And please tell the folks. So you are on Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, is that correct? I am. I'm a real housewife of Salt Lake City.        

00:04:06
            

It's the first time in my life I'm a real housewife. Is it now? Yeah. I'm not a traditional housewife. I mean I've been working my whole pretty much since I was twelve years old.        

00:04:16
            

Yeah. I'm actually going to be in Salt Lake City. You live there? Yes, I'll be there. Bringing the family to Yellowstone.        

00:04:23
            

So we are flying into Salt Lake City and then driving because I think that's probably the most convenient. Convenient and beautiful. Like you're going to love the whole experience. Oh my God. And our kids, I have a nine and eleven year old.        

00:04:36
            

They are obsessed with kids. Ninja. And the ninja kids, which is yes. Yeah, they live by us and they. And when they found out we were going, they were like, oh my gosh, can you look up the gym that they go to?        

00:04:49
            

Oh my gosh, that is so funny. There's literally like you're the third person this week that has been asking me about the ninja kids. Come on. I'm dead serious. Yeah, but we need to make that happen for you.        

00:05:01
            

Well, I am. Yeah. So we get in on like a Saturday. I'm going to go that afternoon. They have open gyms, so I'm going to bring the kids and we're going to do it.        

00:05:08
            

My gosh, that's so sick. I love it. They're going to flip out. So tell us. My gosh, tell us about the kids.        

00:05:16
            

Really? And you have some kids? Yes, I do. So we have Jack who's a senior in high school, and Henry, who's a senior in elementary school. He graduates from fifth grade this year.        

00:05:27
            

We have Henry here with us and Jack is too cool for us. He's on spring break with his friends. Too cool for school. Where did he go? He went to St.         

00:05:35
            

George, which is just basically southern Utah. They rented an airbnb. I didn't know they let 18 year olds rent airbnbs. But he did. So he's there with a bunch of friends and hiking, biking, doing all the things.        

00:05:48
            

Well, that's cool. At least outdoorsy stuff. Not just like cooped up playing video games. No, they don't do that. They're like busy on the go.        

00:05:58
            

Like probably scary adventure stuff I don't even want to know about. I know, I'm repelling right now. I grew up in the suburbs of New York City and New Jersey. I'm not the adventurous type, but my wife is extremely adventurous and both of our kids are extremely adventurous. You got to join the crew.        

00:06:17
            

I'm trying yellowstone. I mean, how much more adventurous can you be? True. Yeah, we'll see. We'll see what happens.        

00:06:24
            

But, please, I'd love to know about the alcoholic beverage products that you're putting out and sort of what is the inspiration into getting into that business. So, we've been in the beverage industry for a long time like literally 20 years this year. We started working on Vita in 2003, launched the brand in 2007, and it's been so amazing. Like, I love the wine and spirits industry, specifically spirits, very specifically tequila. And just making vita.        

00:06:56
            

This is it right here. Beautiful Vita. Very nice. For us, it was a big deal to be in the industry, and we were mentored by some of the greats. So, when I think about what it was like to be in our 20s, like, breaking into this and really having no idea what we were getting into, it's, like, kind of crazy.        

00:07:16
            

And I love the evolution of our brand. We changed the bottle in 2003. It used to be in a short, squatty bottle, which everyone loves, but I was like, it doesn't feel like us. It doesn't feel like the way I see Mexico as modern, chic, innovative, evolving, and beautiful. So I'm like, you have to pay homage to the beautiful country that makes pretty much the best spirit in the world, in my opinion.        

00:07:42
            

So, having Vita, making Vita has been amazing. We love the brand, and it's so fun being on housewives because a whole new demographic of men and women are seeing the beautiful product we created. So, I mean, I always thought Vita stood on its own, and it's done extremely well. But then to have this platform for more people to see it globally is kind of amazing. That's great.        

00:08:07
            

And what a great place to be right now here in Orlando at this conference, which is basically, for those who don't know, it is a conference of wholesalers distributors. So these are the folks who look around for emerging brands and brands that they can take on in their portfolio so that retail stores could have them for sale and bars and restaurants could have them for sale. It's a great place, right? Oh, yeah. WSWA is amazing.        

00:08:32
            

We've been coming since we've been in the business since 2007, and honestly, it is the best place to meet other brand owners, see what other companies are doing, what's emerging, what's coming out, and to meet with your partners. And we're with MHW right now. We love MHW from the beginning. They are they're amazing. I think you have something new that you've just come out with.        

00:08:55
            

Is that right? Yes. So during the pandemic, we realized that supply chain issues were major, and owning a company that's produced in a country other than your own made it really challenging from the standpoint that we couldn't get glass. And we were having a hard time getting components of our toppers and having them put together as quickly as we're used to. So during the pandemic, we came out with these beautiful limited edition bottles, which will be online soon.        

00:09:25
            

We have a store online on vita tequila.com where you can have vita delivered right to your door. And we realized that in addition to that, we needed something that we could produce in our home state in our backyard. So we created a hard seltzer with a local group. We contracted them to make the most amazing hard seltzer. It's basically like an RTD hard seltzer because we have a Mexican mule, a margarita, and a paloma.        

00:09:52
            

And it's all made with vita tequila flavor profile. It's a beet sugar base, and it's absolutely delicious. Not overly carbonated, not overly sweet, but so delicious. And if you want to take it from 5% to 85, you just add in more vita. Well, that's a good tip.        

00:10:09
            

Yeah. I love that. Yes. And I'm like it's. The perfect accessory for vita tequila, but it stands alone, too.        

00:10:15
             

It's called blue jay heart seltzer. Right now, it's available in all gas stations, grocery stores in Utah. We're with us beverage, so we'll be nationwide soon. That's amazing. Great stuff.        

00:10:28
            

Well, I really appreciate this conversation, Lisa. Thank you so much for chatting with me. My pleasure. Cheers. Hey, it's Jonathan again here at the wine and spirits wholesalers of America access live convention with another fellow judge we've been judging for the last couple of days.        

00:10:46
            

Can you please, sir, introduce yourself to the fine folks at home? Gladly. I'm Michael Franz, based in Washington, DC. I'm the editor of wine review online and lead wine reviewer for tasting panel magazine and have a few other irons in the fire. I also have worked for many years as the wine buying consultant for the Clyde's restaurant group in DC.        

00:11:08
            

And teach wine classes through capital wine school. And you have a relationship with my father. You two go way back. Can you tell the fine folks at home a little bit about that? We go way back to shortly after I began writing about wine for the Washington post.        

00:11:26
            

Having bluffed my way in in the mid 1990s and first met Jeff when he brought Richard Jeff WA to Baltimore and caught me in the middle of a day when I was teaching political science courses and met me for lunch and multiple bottles of spectacular champagne, leaving me starstruck and ever so slightly buzzed when off to teach Plato in the afternoon. That was my first meeting with Jeff, and that was the first of many wonderfully, interesting encounters and adventures and discoveries around the world. So connecting with you was a great pleasure. Yes, it is. Same.        

00:12:06
            

And you just a few seconds ago walked up to me and what did you just say? I said, I'm guessing I'm not the first person ever to tell you that you resemble your father. My goodness. Mike and I then immediately apologize for belaboring the obvious. And I was telling you, as I get older and older and older, I do find myself thinking about my dad.        

00:12:31
            

Well, I resemble my father more every year. The problem is that I've now become less attractive than he is.        

00:12:42
            

You're doing very nicely, and resembling your father is a good thing. No, it is a good thing. He has quite a bit of hair left, and mine's kind of thinning a little bit, but that's okay. I worry that mine may be thinning some also. Yeah, a little bit.         

00:13:02
            

Well, Michael. Thank you. It's been great connecting, and I'm sure my father and yourself would have quite a bit to talk about if we kind of let you guys loose. We've got some great adventures to recount. Thanks.        

00:13:13
            

Cheers. Thanks very much.        

00:13:17
            

Hey, it's Jonathan again, remote here with oh, my goodness, two of the best women on the planet. Can you please introduce yourselves and let us know what exactly you do? Hi. My name is Julie Milroy. What do I do?        

00:13:34
            

I have a lot of fun. We have a podcast, and it's called Served Up, and we're here at WSWA talking all about it. Hey, y'all, it's Bridget Albert here, and I am the co host that served up the podcast. I work for Southern Glaciers on the external communication side of things. I've been in the industry for very long, and I am so excited to be here with my friend Jonathan and Julie.        

00:14:01
            

Oh, yeah, I work too. I work at Southern, too. You do a little bit of work, right? Just a little bit. Not today.        

00:14:09
            

It's been a little while since we've seen each other. I think because of the dark times of Pandemic, you guys have a very successful podcast. And, Julie, I wanted to ask you, this platform that so many people are using now, podcasting, what have you learned from starting a podcast and kind of expressing yourself and helping emerging brands and talking to industry people? What kinds of things have you learned? So thank you so much for that.        

00:14:42
            

The podcast was Bridget's idea because I was never really a podcaster, and this woman right here has helped me get out of my shell, and I think, really, that's my biggest learning from doing the podcast, because we do what we call conversational storytelling. So we interview people in hospitality, out of hospitality, people doing amazing things for society, social justice, as well as just having inspiring stories. But what we've learned in order to make these conversations authentic is that you need to be vulnerable, and you need to just put yourself out there. And that's what we've been doing. And I've learned from Bridget, she's been a mentor of mine and just learned to just be yourself, and it's okay.        

00:15:27
            

Some people love you. Some people hate you. Well, Bridget, I'd love to ask you, since you've been in the hospitality industry for a while and you've worked on the restaurant side and on the distributor side, supplier side, the state of our industry right now. What are some of the main challenges you've seen? I'm thinking more along the lines of the restaurant side.        

00:15:50
            

Just everyone coming out of COVID and getting busier, staffing issues, supply issues. What are some of the challenges? Well, every single thing you just said, for sure, staffing issues is a huge challenge because so many folks left the hospitality industry during COVID and after COVID and went on to do other things. And so really having to train up the staff is one of the challenges that we're seeing the team. Right.        

00:16:18
            

And so we're seeing a lot of the back of the house really being in front of the house, becoming the bartender, the manager, now becoming the bartender, the bartender, becoming the manager. But no training really happening between those cross positions, and so training is needed desperately. I think that you can make a great cocktail. You can follow a recipe right. But you have to come forth with those hospitality skills.         

00:16:42
            

You have to care about the human sitting on the other side of you and be able to multitask. Those are amazing words, and I really, really appreciate you sitting down with me here at Access Live in Orlando. Hopefully you're not too dizzy from this camera. This, like, camera. Oh, look at that.        

00:17:02
            

It's it's moving. When you just did that, it moved over to you. It has a mind of its own. AI right. Oh, my gosh.        

00:17:09
            

Cheers, guys. Cheers.        

00:17:13
            

I'm getting him right here. I'm interviewing none other than Mr. Jason Asher. How are you, my friend? I'm so good, man.        

00:17:18
            

How are you? Good. Shall we walk? This is called a walk and talk. Love it.        

00:17:24
            

Hey, so it's been a little while since I've seen you. And for the fine folks at home, can you just let everybody know what you do, where you are, all of that? Yeah, man, it's been a minute. We have Barter and Shake. It's a company I own now here in Phoenix or out in Phoenix, we do beverage consulting, top to bottom, operation consulting in conjunction with bar ownership.        

00:17:45
            

So we have four bars in Phoenix, the fifth one coming in a couple of months, and we're just rocking and rolling. Man, I love how we're walking down a back of house corridor here at the Gaylord Marriott in Orlando. Crazy, right? Yeah. We had a little conversation yesterday about sort of work life balance, which is just insanely important and a struggle as well.        

00:18:11
            

Yeah, I don't think that there's a lot of discussion about having a family, having children, owning bars in this industry. Right. This industry is, I think, a fast moving industry, and a lot of times we don't really slow down to allow ourselves to mature in a lot of ways and grow in a lot of ways. And one of the biggest hurdles I faced is boundaries and creating boundaries to allow myself to have a personal life. And of course, the Pandemic, I think, fueled a lot of that boundary creation for our industry.        

00:18:42
            

And you're seeing it. And now we actually have the ability to make great decisions, emotionally based and mature decisions. And that's who we are, man. I know. And you and I both travel quite a bit and you have a lovely wife who's also in the industry.        

00:18:58
            

Yes. Yeah. Kaylee is the director of communications for Barter and Shake, and so she oversees everything that we do from a social perspective, how we put ourselves out into the world. She's an amazing, amazing asset and an amazing mother and wife. And so those boundaries really help to fuel a healthy relationship, not just with my wife, but with our family and my kids.         

00:19:22
            

And it's a really important part of my world. Now, your company is expanding pretty quickly, and how do you deal with that expansion? Yeah, the expansion can be a little scary. I'll be really honest with you, especially as somebody who wants to spend time with my family. And so that growth really comes from the top and providing an opportunity for us to maintain these boundaries.        

00:19:46
            

Our leadership, my partners, are the ones that really have curated this work environment that allows us to have our own space and our own time, which literally refuels me. So when I come back, they get everything that I have to offer for that ten hour to twelve hour time spent. Yeah. That's amazing. I mean, having a good team, a good solid team.        

00:20:08
            

Trust. It's my word for the year. Trust, right? Yes, it's the word for the year. I mean, being able to trust somebody to do the right thing for your company, to trust your partners to contribute in a way that makes your company better, that makes the environment better, that really creates an environment that attracts more members to become part of our family.        

00:20:28
            

Because right now with growth, the scariest thing is really about staffing and how we're going to handle that and the culture that we're creating is what's going to invite them in. And I think we shouldn't really face any problems. We're heading in the right direction. Jason Asher, thank you so much for this little walk and talk. Thanks, buddy.        

00:20:45
             

Cheers. Cheers to you, bud. And I am here with none other than Mr. Guy Fieri. Hey, Guy.        

00:20:52
            

How are you, bud? I'm good. You gave me a little cigar lesson just now. Cigar. Are we going to pass this?        

00:20:59
            

It's like we're passing the cigar back and forth or passing something else. Yeah, as in great beverages, as in great tequila. You've got to understand it to really be able to appreciate it. So I was walking you through a little bit of Cigar 101, but these are my cigars knuckle sandwich that I make with Espinosas. But this is a 92 on the cigar ficcionado.        

00:21:21
            

You're smoking our newest one, which is our Connecticut. So, yeah, enjoy. Wow.        

00:21:30
            

Taking a couple of puffs here. So you're here at Access Live because you are involved in Santa tequila. More than involved. It's my budy Sammy Hagar and I, we're the owners. And Sammy, I think, was what I call the godfather of tequila.        

00:21:49
            

Sammy was making tequila before most people even knew what tequila was. They thought it was just something that went in a margarita or something that you made a popper with. And he built that super successful brand of cabo wabo, and I was one of the number one distributors of it in my restaurants. That's how Sammy and I became friends. And fortunately, unfortunately, he sold it.        

00:22:09
            

And I was heartbroken. But I told him when he sold it, I said, if you ever do tequila again, I want in. And he said, well, it'll never happen because I had to sign a covenant not to compete. I said, how long? He said ten years.        

00:22:19
            

I said, Call me in ten years. Ten years goes by pretty damn fast. And it's been ten years. It's been a lot. Yeah, longer than ten.        

00:22:26
            

But Sammy has such an amazing palate, such an amazing connection to tequila and really understood the body and the soul and the heart and the energy and all facets of tequila. And so when we set off to do santo, we said, we are going to do real deal tequila. Additive free, no bullshit.        

00:22:47
            

Of all the blancos in the world, 7% of them are additive free. Of all the reposatos, 6% are additive free. And of the inejos, only 5% or less are additive free. And when you say additive free, people, I go, what's a big deal? Well, all you have to be is 51% blue agave to be tequila.        

00:23:03
            

Ours is only blue agave. That is, it 100%. No color, no sugar, no additives, no flavors, no nada. And I didn't know that everybody else wasn't playing that way, but it really is. It's the unicorn in the stable.        

00:23:23
            

But that's the way Sammy and I wanted to do it. That's the way Sammy was always doing it. And it's a blast to be out here, to have an opportunity to share it with people and let them try it. And a lot of times people try it for the first time. They're like, wait, where has this been my whole tequila life?        

00:23:37
            

And I'm like, this is now what's emerging? Should we try some? Absolutely. Okay. I don't think you have to ask me twice about that.        

00:23:46
            

What's your favorite way to drink it? With my mouth.        

00:23:53
            

I thought it was worth it. Come on. I've had a couple, I'll tell you. This is I think if you take your cheers, if you take it from take it from the Germans. Okay.        

00:24:03
            

Yeah. Take it from the French. How do the French drink their white wine? And how do the Germans drink their beer? Almost warm their mouth.        

00:24:11
            

Don't take my line. You couldn't hear this because I had the microphone. You're really getting the truth right here. Okay, is this going to burn? Is this going to be acidic?        

00:24:20
            

Is this going to be no lime, no salt, no chaser, no blah, blah, blah? Just as it is? It should be delicious, be smooth. A. Little touch of sweet.        

00:24:30
            

Yeah. Okay. You get a little vanilla in there. It's clean and it's crisp, which is what I look for in a tequila, because when there are additives in there, you really taste it. And you can taste that.        

00:24:42
            

You taste that aftertaste almost kind of like something on your tongue, like glycerin. The glycerin. You know, big words, dude, I'm I'm a cocktail guru. That's what it is. See, I don't have the pin on the shirt.        

00:24:54
            

No, you exactly have it. Right. But see, people don't know. Like, if you only had one perspective of what to try, well, I'll give you the cigars, for instance. Most people in the cigar world only smoke the flavored cigars in college, swisher sweets, which I did, don't get me wrong, and they have a place in the world.        

00:25:13
            

But the reality of it is when you say to someone, try a different kind of cigar, like, I don't know this one. But once you can appreciate as we just walk through it, so you get the whole principle. I get it, man. And it pairs really nicely with your cigar, which is great. And I'm thoroughly enjoying the tequila cigar combination here.        

00:25:33
            

And I have not done this in a very long time. Well, it's good that you're doing with me out here on a beautiful patio in Florida. This is perfect time for Florida. This is the thing. We don't drink as much as we used to, we don't eat as much as we used to.        

00:25:49
            

We're much more in control of what we're doing and what we're enjoying. So why not enjoy the best? And that's one of the things that I'm trying to explain to folks with Santo, and again, it's just me and Sammy is that it's additive free. It's the truth in a bottle, and it's coming from a third generation distiller. This is who Sammy worked with to make kabu wabo.        

00:26:10
            

And if you're going to do it and life is short, you might as well do it great. Well, I think now more than ever, kind of going on the restaurant bar side, we need to get back to the core of hospitality, the root of hospitality, and the experience. And what you're doing is you're creating the experience of it. And I think that that is what's key. And I'd love to kind of pick your brain a little bit about the state of restaurants and the state of our industry right now and sort of some of the challenges that we're running into.        

00:26:37
            

What sorts of challenges have you seen within your own restaurants and concepts? Well, labor is a big one since the Pandemic. Well, I'll give you an example about this. This young lady right here, we're sitting outside of the restaurant. We're not even in dining in the restaurant, but the young lady saw the server, saw us come out here, and she came out here to offer us, and all we had is water and a Pepsi.        

00:26:59
            

But the fact is, that's hospitality. That gives me an impression of what this restaurant is and how they handle themselves. I'll be much more inclined to come back here and eat again and definitely tip her as if we had lunch. You are Guy Fieri, though, right? Well, I'll take it.        

00:27:16
            

But that is what the industry is about. Dining out, going to a restaurant is not just about consumption. It's about an experience. People want to have that moment. They want to enjoy the company they're with.        

00:27:29
            

They want to enjoy the environment they're in. They want to feel special. They want that moment. And that is what the hospitality industry has always been. That's kind of one of the key points to it, one of the tent poles.        

00:27:43
            

We're having a difficulty with it right now because we've lost a lot of labor force. But it's coming back. People are recognizing, yes, a computer can do it faster, and yes, you can order on your phone, but there is the human contact, and there's that personal touch to it that makes all the difference.        

00:28:02
            

What about on the consumer side, consumers coming in and enjoying the restaurants and interacting with staff? Is there a certain amount of patience that they should have? Nowadays, in a lot of countries, you have to serve one year in your military. Okay. France.        

00:28:20
            

I went to college or high school in France. Oh, really? Yeah. I was an exchange student when I was 16. And that's one of the things, is all the men had to go to one year of military.        

00:28:29
            

A lot of countries do that. I think everybody should have spent one year in hospitality because you will realize that that server most of the time is not the reason why your burger is not here on time. It's a human situation. There's situations all the time, but when people are hungry or hangry, emotions come out and people take it personally and so forth. But I think that you have to give them an understanding and consideration.        

00:28:55
            

It's people trying to take care of people, and there's all different perspectives on that. And like I said, most of the people that understand the industry have been from the industry and have worked in it. And at a lot of these people, restaurant industry is so critical. When we had the Pandemic, My group, we raised a bunch of money for the restaurant workers, over $25 million. Amazing.        

00:29:16
            

And we gave out 44,000 grants, and we wanted to give them to everybody. But what we did say to our industry is, we love you. We love. You. We respect you.        

00:29:24
            

We appreciate what you've done for us. And give them a hug, because this is the job for so many college students, so many second incomes, so many retirees, so many single parents. I mean, there's just a lot of that that's going on. So it's a very vital factor in the fabric of our community. And I say it all the time on Triple D.        

00:29:43
            

You show me a great restaurant, I'll go, this place is so great. The property value just went up in this town because of how great your restaurant is.        

00:29:53
            

Thank you, sir. Look at that. Oh, thanks. That's the matrix. This is Dan, by the way.        

00:29:58
             

Hi. How are you doing, ladies? We don't mean to kick you out of this. If you want to have a seat, don't. Okay.        

00:30:06
            

I came here for this. Dan, what's your role, my friend?        

00:30:14
            

Hello. I'm the CEO of Santo. I came on board he's there somewhere from Guy came on board about six months ago to run the tequila business here for Sammy and Guy and kind of have an industry background to help them navigate the three tier system here in the US. And all the complexities of tequila. While they're tremendous connoisseurs, the guidance that I'll give is through the industry and how to execute.        

00:30:42
            

So he doesn't play it too shy. He's my number one draft pick. When we were looking to have someone head this up. You got to be able to outpassion us and have more passion. You got to be able to outhype it, and you got to know more than Sammy and I know.         

00:30:56
            

And both of us, I think, know quite a bit. But we went to get Dan in particular because of his authority in the industry, his respect from the industry. That's one of the neatest things we've had this week, is an opportunity to meet so many people he's done business with over the last 20 years. And people walk up and say, you got the best. We're not the biggest brand, but we are probably, in my opinion, the most one of the most authentic, and we need to have that kind of leadership.        

00:31:20
            

And I do not try to take the reins from him. He's the one that is steering the ship. I'm a member of the granted, I own the company, but I'm looking at his expertise in doing this same thing with my cigar company is you surround yourself with people ask me all the time, how did your career turn into what it turned into? I said, I surround myself with great people and the same thing with our opportunity to meet you. I met you yesterday, and when you walked, I told Dan, I said, I really do want to talk to this guy.        

00:31:46
            

And the reason is you're here, your boots on the ground. You're right in the center of this thing. You're the guy that I want to have a chance to tell my story to or tell what we're doing, because the people that are listening to you are the people that I want to know what we're doing and how we're doing it. Well, I really appreciate that. And what I've noticed since meeting you is just the authenticity of you.        

00:32:09
             

You've always been like no holds barred. You're yourself, you're, you. You don't give a shit about whatever anyone says. We can curse on this podcast. I like it.        

00:32:17
            

It's good to know.        

00:32:21
            

And it's reflected in the brand and in the way that you talk about. The brand, that's an extension of the brand. The brand is as authentic as Guy, as Sammy can be. So it's true to them from a branding perspective, it's true to them from a passion perspective, and it comes out in what we're doing as an organization. Well, I appreciate you taking the time.        

00:32:43
            

This has been a wonderful, wonderful discussion. It's been, I guess I could say, a dream of mine to run into you and to meet you. You're great in the hospitality industry. So many people look up to you, and thank you for giving back to our community during the pandemic. And always, I think it's amazing what you do, my friend.        

00:33:03
            

Well, one of my favorite things to talk about in food or raising my two boys, hunter and Rider, or training young chefs or whatever it may be, is knowledge, is power. And fortunately, what you're doing is shining the light on this for the industry, for people. Because, as I said a moment ago, we don't drink as much as we used to in society. We don't eat as much. We just eat better.        

00:33:24
            

We drink better. We enjoy better. And when you can understand who gold the cigar or what is the story of Juan Eduardo, the third generation distiller that makes our tequila? Or why Sammy loves it, or why when you get the story behind it's kind of like knowing behind the music. It's one of the things we loved about MTV, getting that story behind where the band came from, where the music came, then you appreciate it so much more.        

00:33:44
            

So you taking the time to share this message with everybody. I really appreciate it. And the injo will be coming out in the beginning of June, and when it does, it'll give us another reason to talk. Beautiful. Love to have you on a full episode of podcast, too.        

00:33:59
            

I think that would be amazing. You got it, bro. Thank you, Dan. Guys, you amazing conversation. Keep that, bro.        

00:34:03
            

Cheers.        

00:34:07
            

Well, hi, it's Jonathan again, and I am here with none other than Christy Brinkley. Hi, Christy. How are you? Hi. I'm very happy.        

00:34:17
            

I just walked into the room, and it's so beautiful, and I'm having my first Belissima pop. Tell me about it. It's delicious. This is a long time in the making. I've always believed that this would be an exciting product to have a Prosecco popsicle in the summertime, and here it is.        

00:34:44
            

It's actually happening. And they pulled a quick one on me. So this one is a lemon rose, and it's so delicious. I'm loving it. And you've had Belizeima for several years now, and what was the impetus behind working on it?        

00:35:09
            

She's enjoying the Belizeima pop. I said, you can interview me, but I can't stop eating.        

00:35:17
            

So I was really excited when Rich and Rowe came to me and they told me that they had found this beautiful vineyard in Italy that had always been organic, had never had chemicals put on it. It was as pure as could be along the banks of the Nevi River in Veneto, in Chaviso, and that they wanted to do some wines that were organic and vegan. And Roe had been following me on my Instagram, or actually, I think it was my Facebook at the time. And. I didn't know what to talk about on there.        

00:36:01
            

So I talked about my organic garden all the time because I was really proud of the fact that I was teaching myself to be a gardener and I was not using chemicals. And I kept saying to everybody, if I can do it, if I can make my garden look this pretty, then you can do it, too. So I was a big proponent of protecting our planet and making sure that people understand how easy it is to be organic. And Roe said, we need Christy to be able to deliver the organic message about these wines. And then they did the magic trick.        

00:36:40
            

They let me taste a few of them, and I said, yes, I want to be your partner. This is exciting. It's amazing. Well, it is very exciting. And it's always exciting to come to this conference, too.        

00:36:51
            

I know you've been to this conference for several years. It's the first time we've met. You did come into the room today and say, who is this handsome gentleman? Yes. Christy Brinkley.        

00:37:01
            

You are making me blush. I'm so thrilled to be on your podcast. And we kind of match, too. I've got the sunflowers, and you've got. Yes, we're doing the floral thing because we've also just people may be familiar with our belicima bottles of our sparklings, which we call our bottles our bottle cellis, because they are a rendition of a Botticelli Botticelli's Venus.        

00:37:30
            

And now we have just put out a full line of still wines that are all zero sugar. And that's one of the other things that makes us unique, is that we are producing wines that are better for you and better for our planet. So we have not only the organic message and the vegan message, but also the fact that we are producing zero sugar wines. And every day you can read about all the reasons why it's best to reduce your intake of sugar. So to be able to produce these wines.        

00:38:12
            

And it's all floral labels, so thus, the floral theme going on here and they're beautiful, beautiful wines. Unbelievable taste. Everybody that's tasted them is surprised that they're zero sugar. They just think it's a very nice wine. And then when they get that added bonus of it's zero sugar, they're shocked because the flavor like our red wines.        

00:38:42
            

The first time I tasted the red wines that they produced for us, I was just blown away. We really blown away because they're smooth. We have a Merlot and we have a Cabernet. And last year we were in Napa Valley and we brought our Cabernets to Napa Valley. And Napa is very well known for their great Cabs.        

00:39:08
            

And I have to say our Zero Sugar Cabernet was very well received in Napa Valley by all the top Napa producers. We're loving it. So I was just so proud. You look like a very proud parent of Belisima. I think this is great.        

00:39:30
            

I can definitely tell that it comes from the heart and you have some great products. 100%. I love this industry. I love all the people that I've met in it. You know what I love is my philosophy on life has always been that you've got to make the most of every day.        

00:39:52
            

My mom always said to me, chrissy, live each day to the fullest. And what that means is like always finding something to be grateful for. And if a friend drops by, don't just really turn it into something special. Open up a bottle of wine, pop a cork the second you pop a cork. Special occasion, right?        

00:40:15
            

Just the sound of that.        

00:40:19
            

I love that. And that's what this industry is. This industry is all about bringing people together around a bottle of wine. And when you sip that bottle of wine and the various stories behind it, it brings people together. And I love that.        

00:40:35
            

I really love that. That's great. I love it too. Yeah, it's the best. So I've been doing this for a few years now, our Belize and the brand, and I love every second of it and I'm thrilled to be here and I'm so excited looking around the room and seeing how our very first room there.        

00:40:57
            

Yes, our very first wine and spirits convention. We came out with our original three bottles. And now I look around the room at how we've expanded our brand and I'm just so proud. I get a lump in my throat because it's exciting. It's a lot of work, no two ways about it.        

00:41:24
            

And we have done this with a very small team. It's a group of us and we just keep working at it. And it's happening. It's all happening. Well, congratulations, Christy Brinkley.        

00:41:44
            

It's been a great conversation. So great to meet you and best of luck. Thank you so much for having me on. Say hi to your dad for me. I will, thanks.        

00:41:52
             

Okay, you can say hi, Jeff. Hi, Jeff. I wish you were here. Thanks. What did you think, dad?        

00:41:59
            

Well, John, it looks like you had a fantastic time. Yeah, it was really great. It was definitely one for the books. It was nice to catch up with my good pal Jason and, of course, Julian Bridgett, who have their own podcast called The Served Up Podcast, which we talked about Christy Brinkley, Guy Fieri, Lisa Barlow, Anne. Well, I really hate the fact that I missed that because you had so many great and interesting encounters along the way.        

00:42:29
            

Yeah, like I said before, you'll have to come back with me next time. Maybe, just maybe, Christy Brinkley will allow you to have a prosecco pop with her. How about that? Well, I hope and pray that will happen. Well, thanks for watching.        

00:42:48
            

Yeah, we'll see you all next time.        

00:42:53
            

That does it for today's show. If you enjoy what we do, please rate, review and subscribe to the podcast. You can also support the show with a small monthly donation to help sustain future episodes. Just click on the Donate button at the top of our website and choose your donation amount. To learn more about our guests, visit www.thecocktalgurupodcast.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or TikTok.        

00:43:22
            

The Cocktailguru podcast is produced by 1st Reel Entertainment and distributed by Eats Drinks TV, a service of the center for Culinary Culture, home of the Cocktail Collection, and is available via Anchor, Spotify, Apple, Google, Amazon and wherever you listen to your favorite shows, you.