Bar / Beverage Director

Empregara; New York (NY); On-site; USD 75,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Vale in the Catskills is opening a small, 26-seat restaurant focusing on a nuanced beverage program alongside coffee, tea, spirits and wine. You will collaborate with our chef and farmers to highlight seasonal produce and kitchen outputs, while building and maintaining relationships with distributors and overseeing the daytime and evening beverage menus.

The role blends service and program development in a close-knit team.

Qualifications

• Experience creating beverage programs in acclaimed restaurants.
• Ability to build and run a beverage program alongside kitchen and front-of-house teams.
• Collaborate with chefs and farmers to highlight field-growings and kitchen outputs.
• Establish and maintain relationships with distributors.
• Develop beverage menus for daytime and evening service.
• Experience operating espresso machines and managing wine and cocktails.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with chef and farmers to highlight field produce and kitchen outputs.
• Oversee development of the beverage menu for both daytime and evening service.
• Establish and maintain distributor relationships.
• Operate espresso machines, mix drinks, and pour wine.
• Keep inventory and coordinate with chefs on overlapping ingredients.
• Support smooth service with GM and servers.

Skills

Beverage program

Coffee & tea focus

Espresso machines

Wine knowledge

Team collaboration

Tools

Inventory management software

POS systems

Job description

Company description

The team behind the critically acclaimed Take Root in Brooklyn, earning both James beard recognition and a Michelin star, are opening a restaurant set on a farm in the Catskills. More about the project below...

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Vale is a mountain farm and restaurant nestled in the heart of the Catskills. Family owned and operated, we have been stewarding this land for nearly eight years. That time has given us an intimate knowledge of what grows, lives, and thrives here, from native flora and fauna to the produce we cultivate each season. The farm is both the backdrop to our dining room and the backbone of our kitchen, shaping the food we serve, the way we work, and the experience we hope to create for our guests.

The farm currently encompasses nearly an acre of produce, a 40-foot greenhouse, maple trees, and mushroom logs. We are also home to forty laying hens, five roosters, four goats, and four honeybee hives, with more animals and plants added each season. Our long-term goal is for the farm to sustain the restaurant almost entirely, and eventually to feed the broader community as well.

The restaurant is small but mighty, with just 26 seats and we are open Thursday through Sunday. The four-day week gives our team time to explore and lay roots in the region, rest, and return to do their best work.

This rhythm reflects a core belief and driving force behind this project: our desire to work somewhere beautiful, where quality of life for our family and employees is the highest priority. We encourage our staff to walk the trails, dip in the river, and harvest from the fields. Our onsite employee space includes a kitchenette and full bathroom for use after time spent farming or exploring.

We hope to build Vale with people who feel the pull of this place and want to help bring its possibilities to life.

Opening in March!

Job description

This position is for someone who has an interest in creating a nuanced beverage program with equal focus placed on coffee and tea as on spirits and wine. This position is best suited for someone with experience working in restaurants lauded for their beverage program. You are someone who wants to both build the program and work service. You will collaborate with our chef and farmers to find unique ways to highlight what is grown in the field and what is coming out of the kitchen. You will establish and maintain relationships with distributors, oversee the development of the entire beverage menu for both daytime and evening menus, work espresso machines, mix drinks, pour wine. You will keep track of inventory and communicate clearly with the chefs on ingredients that overlap with the kitchen and assist in running a smooth service with the general manager and servers.

Compensation

this position is: salaried, $75,000 - $100,000