#200 - Chefs & Guests - Wine Director Mark Bright of Saison Hospitality - a podcast by Ray Chmielecki

On this episode of Spoon Mob's Chefs & Guests podcast series, Ray chats with co-founder, co-owner, and wine director Mark Bright of Saison Hospitality about growing up east of Chicago, the trip to Europe that got him hooked on wine, how he got hired at Aqua at the Bellagio with barely any restaurant experience, why he dropped out of medical school, learning from four future Master Sommeliers, how the opportunity to work with sommelier Rajat Parr at Michael Mina’s San Francisco flagship restaurant came to be, finding his own path outside the Court of Master Sommeliers, not passing the advanced sommelier exam, why Local Wine Kitchen & Merchant didn’t work out, how and why he partnered with chef Josh Skenes to open Saison, everything that went into starting Saison as a pop up, getting awarded one, two, and then three Michelin stars, the idea behind the Bright Wine Fund, the misconception he was a partner in Vinyl Wine Bar, starting Partage Winery, the challenges of being a first time winemaker, winning the Wine Spectator Grand Award, installing a new team after chef Josh Skenes stepped away from the kitchen, why Angler was chosen as the concept for expansion for Saison Hospitality, the future of Saison Smokehouse, hosting virtual wine tastings during the covid lockdowns, tasting champagne from a 1907 Baltic Sea shipwreck, where his love for Dunkin’ Donuts comes from, future plans, answers the question left behind by chef Tyler Stemmer of Pleasantry, and more before taking on the “burning grill” questions! For more on wine director Mark Bright visit spoonmob.com/markbright and follow him on Instagram @markbrightwine, @saisonhospitality, @saisonsf, @anglersanfrancisco, @anglerlosangeles, @saisonsmokehouse, @partagewinery, @saison_winery & @saison_cellar. Visit saisonsf.com, anglerrestaurants.com, saisonsmokehouse.com, partagewinery.com, saisonwines.com & saisoncellar.com for menu details, wine lists, reservations, and online wine ordering. For all things Spoon Mob, visit spoonmob.com and make sure to follow us on Instagram (@spoonmob), Twitter (@spoonmob1), and Facebook (@spoonmob1). Audio Editing by @TrackEditPrint. Intro music by @kabbalisticvillage.

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