You might not know the name Gretchen Thomas, but we can bet you that you’ve tasted some of her carefully selected wines. That’s because Gretchen is the master wine guru and manager behind the Barteca Restaurant Group which includes Barcelona and Bartaco restaurants. Believe it or not, Gretchen is in charge of the nation’s largest Spanish wine list. Quite impressive!
Gretchen Thomas of the Barteca Restaurant Group (Photo credit: Shelley Noeldechen and Nicolas Kleczewski/CIA)
But, putting that wine list together isn’t easy at all. It requires Gretchen to travel to vineyards and wine producers throughout Spain and beyond. And, exactly how expansive is this wine list that Gretchen put together? According to the Culinary Institute of America, we’re talking about 350 different labels equaling out to over $4 million in sales a year (we can proudly say we’ve helped to contribute towards that).
And, speaking of the CIA in Hyde Park, they have honored Gretchen (she graduated in 2003 with a BA in the CIA’s Culinary Arts Management program) by featuring her in a video series named Food Is Life. Gretchen’s video is titled “Pieces of Passion” and other videos in the series include Jason Story and Carolina Gomez (owners) of Three Little Pigs Charcuterie & Salumi shop in Washington, Greg Vernick (owner and chef) at Vernick Food & Drink in Philadelphia, and Michael Ferraro (executive chef and partner) at Delicatessen and Macbar in New York City.
Congratulations to Gretchen and Barteca Restaurant Group on this honor and thank you for keeping the wine flowing.
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