Curating a Dope Palate With Helen Johannesen
Helen Johannesen is the Owner and Founder of Helen’s Wines, a naturally-driven and organically farmed wine shop. She is also the Director of Operations and the Beverage Director at Jon & Vinny’s restaurant and all associated restaurants, including Animal, Son of a Gun, and Petit Trois. She is passionate about food and wine and was titled Best New Sommelier by Food & Wine in 2016.
Helen graduated from the University of Wisconsin and began her career in the food industry working at L’Etoile, where she gained valuable experience in the fine dining and farm-to-table sector. After moving to Los Angeles, Helen worked as a manager at Craft before taking a position with Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo and eventually became their partner at Jon & Vinny’s.
Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:
Helen Johannesen talks about creating depth and relationships in the wine industry
How Helen forged her own path to build a novelty wine shop
How the impact of education, tastings, and classes helped scale a business
Helen discusses staying true to your north star in a rapidly growing market
How to set expectations and have transparency as a business owner
Helen details her journey to overcome self-doubt as a leader in the wine beverage industry
Helen shares why education is crucial for the wine sommeliers beverage industry
In this episode…
How do new brands connect and educate consumers? What does it mean to stay humble in the rapidly growing ecosystem of the wine industry, and how can you remain authentic?
For Helen Johannesen, connecting and establishing a personal relationship between her consumers and the brand they love begins with a conversation. Helen has had a colorful career in the food and beverage industry — and her experience as a leader has inspired and shaped the foundation of her wine shop, Helen’s. By remaining authentic and firm to her roots, she has successfully scaled her brand and positively impacted the lives of her consumers.
Listen to this episode of The Alexi Cashen Podcast to hear from Helen Johannesen, Owner and Founder of Helen’s and Partner at Jon & Vinny’s. Alexi and Helen discuss keeping true to your roots, increasing revenue, and staying humble in a diverse industry. Helen talks about the importance of educating the consumer, setting brand expectations for authenticity, and being persistent in your personal growth. Stay tuned!
Resources Mentioned in this episode
Sponsor for this episode...
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