Andros Taverna in Chicago hires Alexandria Brashears as the new beverage director and sommelier.

 

 

Brashears is an Atlanta-born sommelier and brings more than a decade of experience in the hospitality industry to the Logan Square restaurant. She is a veteran of Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park in New York City and works with Chef Doug Psaltis at Andros Taverna to marry excellent beverage pairings with approachable and delicious Greek cuisine.

With an already strong knowledge of domestic, French, Spanish and Italian winemaking regions, Andros Taverna provides Brashears the opportunity to deepen her knowledge into the emerging Greek viticulture scene. Her favorite wines are those that are delicious, made with intention, and speak to a sense of place and time.

 

Celebrating her hire, Andros will feature her selections of Greek wines along with menu items from esteemed Chef Doug Psaltis for the restaurant’s Journey to the Greek Islands series. We met up with Brashears to learn more about her new position and what makes a good wine beverage program.

 

Tell us about your background in the industry.

I’m an Atlanta-born sommelier and bring more than a decade of experience in the hospitality industry to Andros Taverna. I’m a veteran of Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park in New York City and my beverage program when I was with Lyla Lila was nominated as a semifinalist for a James Beard Award for Outstanding Wine Program in 2022. I also earned the Sonoma-Cutrer Advanced Course Scholarship in 2019 and was runner up in the Chaine des Rotisseurs Young Sommelier Competition of the same year.

 

Under you, what will the beverage program at Andros Taverna look like? Talk to us about the inspiration.

Ultimately, I want the beverage program to be both fun and dynamic, but also for it to speak to a sense of place. Our wine program highlights Greek winemakers who are committed to sustainable practices and whose wine is truly terroir-driven as well as food-friendly. Both myself and my Sommelier, Amber Pike, are also looking to expand our wine program into the Mediterranean. I really want us to show how influential the Greeks were in spreading viticulture through the Mediterranean and into Europe. I think telling that story through our wine list is compelling.

 

As far as our cocktails, you can expect our Fall Cocktail List to be composed of many of the same ingredients we use daily in our kitchen. Greek yogurt, for example, is so versatile and can be incorporated into cocktails in such interesting and delicious ways. Traditional Greek Spirits like Tsipouro, Ouzo, and Greek Wines are incorporated into the selection. I want to keep our cocktails on the lighter side as well. Lower-ABV beverages pair so much better with food, and they mean our guests can imbibe comfortably. You’ll also see us expand out our non-Spirited beverage selection. It is extremely important to me that anyone can drink thoughtfully crafted beverages regardless of the reason why they choose not to imbibe.

 

What type of experience can guests expect when visiting?

Andros Taverna is a neighborhood-restaurant, and I think we do a great job of marrying approachability with an excellent dining experience. The entire experience here is designed to be convivial and communal.

 

Tell us some of your most-used skills as a sommelier. Which one is your specialty?

I’ve worn many hats in restaurants over the years, and I think the most underutilized skill someone in our industry can have is the ability to really, truly connect with and care for their guests and their team. All throughout a given night, I just want to increase the vibe of the restaurant for everyone in the building. Get to know your guests and what they like, get to know your team and what they like, and do your best to enjoy the work that you’re doing. It sounds simple, but it can be so easy to turn into a robot on a busy night and just go through the motions. Take your time at a table and make your interactions special – your guests will feel it, and you will too. I think treating ourselves and our co-workers with more patience, kindness and hospitality is more important than ever in our industry. Empathy is an important (and learnable) skill.

 

Give us some pointers on running a successful beverage program: 

• Really lean in and educate yourself on the hard skills of this business.
• Have conversations with your General Manager or your owners or whoever you report to about what their idea of a successful program is.
• Create benchmarks and goals for the financial success of your program, first – then you can create a list that will get you there.
• Make sure it is financially sound. Ensure that the costs of your product are in line with your COGS goals, keep diligent track of your inventory, and make sure you keep your invoicing system tight. Keep an eye on what’s moving in your program, and most importantly what isn’t. This can give you a feel of what your guests are interested in, and gives you a framework to develop a plan for your program.
• Constantly ask yourself questions about the program. Are the popular items on your list popular because they are familiar? Are they popular because they are priced well? Is your beverage list well-organized and easy to read? Are your servers able to speak about the beverage program confidently? Asking questions like this can show you where the strengths and weaknesses of your program lie – and can be great guideposts on planning staff education, re-working your beverage lists, costing out cocktails, etc.