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"A Real Job" - July 2004
Talking with Jeanine Burke
Talking with Jeanine Burke
Jeanine Burke, Nell’s Wine Director and Sommelier, is not a morning person. That’s not surprising, really. A lot of restaurant people aren’t early risers, and Jeanine has been in or around the food business most of her life.
“I’ve always worked in restaurants. My first job was dishwasher in Sun Valley, Idaho. I was 13—I said I was 14—you had to be 14 to work. Well, I was almost 14.”
Later, in college, Jeanine majored in Clothing and Textile Design, and restaurant work helped pay the bills. Once she graduated, it was time to get the “quote, unquote real job.” Jeanine started working for a mannequin manufacturer—a company that made all the Baby Gap mannequins. She worked trade shows in New York, London, and Paris and soon became the in-house caterer and wine buyer for company parties. It was rewarding work but her memories of restaurant life drew her back to the business:
“I missed food, I missed wine. And I missed that kind of social atmosphere that makes you become a restaurant person. Plus, I hated getting up early. I decided that I could make a real job out of something I loved.”
Calling on a friend, Jeanine found a position at Eos, a wine bar in San Francisco. “For me, Eos, was accelerated learning. There were 50 wines by the glass, weekly wine flights that featured low end to very high end wines.
After Eos, Jeanine began a yearlong stint as wine director at 42 Degrees, “a great San Francisco restaurant, closed now.” During this time, she fell in love with a native Seattleite and the couple moved to the Emerald City. “It’s right after September 11th; I had a job fall through because of that; then Erik Liedholm offered me a job as maître de/sommelier at the Hyatt. When he left, I took over his position as sommelier. Hotel service was a great experience but it wasn’t grass roots for me. I found myself driving back and forth from my house to downtown, never really getting to know Seattle.”
Ironically, before getting the Hyatt job, Jeanine had once walked into the back entrance of Nell’s and asked Philip for work. He offered her a gig working a Bar Mitzvah. One day’s work. “About a year later a got a call from Philip asking me if I wanted to work for him.” In that conversation, she found out they lived about four blocks from each other. Jeanine invited him over. “We had tea in my front garden and soon after that I started working for him. It’s been almost two years now.”
Unlike some sommeliers, Jeanine works the floor. She loves the neighborhood feel of Nell’s. “Every night you work you recognize people you know. Our regulars are so loyal. And we are getting an influx of younger, first time diners.”
With summer in full swing, Jeanine notes diners are turning to lighter style reds—Pinots and Rhones. For whites, they are looking for dry, clean flavors like Sancerre, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris. “We also shake and stir a lot of martinis.”
And what, if you don’t mind us asking, does a sommelier drink?
“My favorite beverage at the end of a busy night is Riesling. Hands down—something refreshing. The guys drink beer.”
With Nell’s hosting wine dinners every other month Jeanine stays busy planning these special events with distributors and wine-makers. Pairing Nell’s with local food businesses and featuring their products in Nell’s cuisine is another project Jeanine takes pride in.
Like she said she would, Jeanine has made a real job
out of something she loves.