Hello! I am Andrew, the Founder of Fruit Day Consulting.

I have always worked in restaurants. I started as a dishwasher and prep cook in the mall food court when I was 16, and nearly 22 years later I have been fortunate enough to work in some of the best restaurants in New York City. There’s just something about the atmosphere of hospitality that I love so much, and it continues to keep me humble, curious, and excited.

I have accumulated years of experience in wine service and education, studied under a Master Sommelier, and have created award-winning wine programs. I’ve been fortunate enough to be awarded travel scholarships to many well-known wine regions including Portugal, Champagne, South Africa, Rogue Valley and Willamette Valley, Oregon.

I started my wine journey in 2016 (after a few failed attempts at acting and stand-up comedy) by teaching wine classes at Corkbuzz, one of the most famous wine bars in New York City. And while the pandemic shook some things up, I landed on my feet and out in Walla Walla, Washington where I worked my first grape harvest at Revelry Vintners during the fall of 2020.

While studying for various wine exams (I like to learn), I worked as a private tutor for blind tasting and taught wine classes virtually and in person. Various wine-and-food-related topics were explored - Wine and Cheese, Holiday Pairings, and even a seminar at a local winery on the fundamentals of hospitality and wine service.

In the Summer of 2021, I became the Wine Director and General Manager of Ruffian Wine Bar, an orange wine junkie favorite in New York’s East Village. There, I created a successful by-the-glass program with nearly 30 wines that centered around the lively wines of Central and Eastern Europe. We also implemented biweekly ticketed classes with topics ranging from Wines of Hungary to Wines of Mexico. I like to keep it interesting. Check out my links to some sample presentations.

In July of 2022, I became the Lead Sommelier of Veronika inside the Fotografiska Museum, the world’s largest photography museum which is based out of Stockholm. The museum has many locations around the world including Berlin, Shanghai, and formerly here in New York. The wine program at Veronika was a large undertaking that begged for dedication and hard work and I was up for the challenge. The 600+ SKU list included ample Riesling and Champagne selections, and of course, all the Old World musthaves. But, being a global company, I found it important to represent all the wine-making regions of the world. I was able to sprinkle in New World favorites from South Africa, Australia, and Chile that were met with intrigue and excitement. The hard work paid off when the list received Wine Spectator’s Best of Award of Excellence in the summer of 2024, right before the restaurant’s closure. It was a bittersweet end.

Most recently, at Virgin Hotels New York, I created an elevated Latin American wine program for the hotel’s Ecuadorian-Mediterannean fine dining concept, Aitana. The list included nearly 30 wines by the glass and 340 by the bottle ranging from iconic South American wines to interesting off-the-grid bottlings.

I want to see your wine program succeed and arm your staff with the knowledge and confidence it takes to sell. This will add to your guests’ experience while increasing revenue. I can build a wine program for you from scratch or build upon your existing one. This is what I do and it brings me such joy. I look forward to working with you.

- Andrew