7 Questions with Jim Santangelo
1. Please tell us a bit about yourself (where you’re from, education, background).
My wine career started at a hot dog stand. I worked the grill during the humid summers in Western New York rolling dogs over charcoal. I greeted customers as they arrived, shouting, “Whatcha want? Whatcha got?”— and the banter between the ‘grill man’ and customers began. I traded the grill in for fine dining when I moved to Salt Lake City. I loved the fast-paced environment on the floors of Utah’s top-rated restaurants and made the decision to continue my training. I found I was especially motivated by the power of wine to enhance the dining experience for both the guests and myself. This passion has been greatly enhanced by my decision to become a certified Sommelier, and then an Educator with an internationally recognized program.
I am pleased to take the enthusiasm that has its roots ‘behind the grill’ to the floor of bustling restaurants. As a Sommelier, I seek out epic experiences with food and wine for guests, and as the Founder and Educator of the Wine Academy of Utah, I introduce the intricacies of wine to enthusiasts and professionals alike in a fun environment. My banter of “How many dogs?” has transformed into “How about a little ‘splishy splash’ to get you started tonight?”
2. What do you do in your industry?
Primarily, I’m an educator, and also host consumer tasting events and experiences.
The Wine Academy of Utah is an approved program provider with the Wine and Spirits Education Trust. We provide internationally recognized wine certificates to those in the hospitality industry and wine enthusiasts.
In addition, we’ve activated lots of monthly consumer tastings in the community offered at various venues from bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and even the Leonardo Museum where we pair wine with art, or the Tracy Aviary with the Wine Takes Flight dinner series.
The experiences we offer are twofold; the popular In-Home Wine Events are tastings you can select from a list of wine or spirits themes, such as Tour of Italy, or Splash of Spain, or The Manhattan cocktail – a taste of history. These In-Home events include all the beverage, glassware, printed tastings notes, and professional presentation all in the comforts of your home.
The second experience is the “Whiskey & History” walking and tasting tour, launched in the fall of 2018 over the AirBnB platform. To date, we’ve taken over 1,000 people on this 2 ½ hour walking and tasting tour talking about the rich history of distillation in Utah from the mid 1800’s to present day. We are proud of this experience, as we show off Utah’s distillation scene to visitors changing minds and palates!
3. What drew you to your industry?
The draw to the hospitality industry was as a Sommelier on the floor of a restaurant. This role allowed me the opportunity to, if only a few times a night, enhance a guests dining experience. By just adding a glass of wine here or glass of wine there, the guest reaction to this pairing is second to none.
4. What is your favorite part of your job?
You might find this surprising, however, the favorite part of my job is the research and preparation for consumer tasting events. The time to select and research the wines, creating and staying in budget, and designing all the printed collateral is a time that I enjoy because it’s just me and the wine.
Presenting the wines at the tasting events is also fantastic, the chance to interact and teach guests how to taste wine like an expert, answer long burning questions about wine, and discuss food and wine pairings.
5. What is the best thing about the Utah food and wine scene?
The growth. There has always been a steady growth of restaurants to the scene, rarely a slump. As of late, we’re seeing an influx of hyper focused bars (Tiki bar) private clubs (Edison House) and Brasserie’s in newly built boutique hotels (Adelaide at the Element Salt Lake).
There’s also some hidden secrets; “The Church” at Lake Effect or “Van Ryder” soon to be Utah’s hottest rooftop bar.
6. If you could only drink one wine, eat one meal, and visit one place this year, what would they be?
The Wine Ghetto in Lompoc, California. If you know, you know.
7. Do you have any words of wisdom for people looking to get into your line of work?
There are excellent books available for those just starting to get into wine, going to wine tastings (whether hosted by the Wine Academy of Utah or other outfits), and take a wine certification class. You can always contact us at the Wine Academy of Utah to discuss additional options, we are here to help!
Please tell us where readers can find you.
To “Increase your wine knowledge…One sip at a time” contact us at the WineAcademyofUtah.com or follow us on social media @WineAcademyofUT today.
