Ep 38 | Jordan Salcito
Zigzagging Your Way to Success
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Jordan Salcito is an award-winning sommelier and founder of Drink RAMONA, a delicious organic wine spritzer made with high-quality standards.
Jordan began her career in New York as a hostess before becoming a prep cook, sommelier, manager, and eventually, the Wine & Beverage Director at David Chang’s Momofuku restaurants. She is also a 5-time James Beard Award semi-finalist and was named “Most Creative in the World” by World of Fine Wine magazine.
The idea for RAMONA came to life when Jordan became unexpectedly pregnant with her first son and realized she wanted to take control of her own life. She always had dreams of creating an organic wine beverage that everyone could enjoy at a good price point.
Her wine spritzers have been spotted in the hands of many celebrities from Kanye West, Alicia Keys to P Diddy, and are also loved by critics and consumers for it’s beautifully packaged design & commitment to high-quality organic ingredients. RAMONA is distributed nationwide at Whole Foods, directly on their website, along with independent retail chains and restaurants across the U.S.
We’ll talk to Jordan about how she pivoted her career from wanting to be a writer to then a wine expert, why she walked away from certain business ventures to follow her instincts and the power of taking advantage of opportunities even when the odds are against you.
Show Notes:
Jordan discusses how her parents instilled a strong value system and work ethic for herself and her siblings [2:57]
Aspiring to be a writer, Jordan moves to NYC and takes a job as a hostess to make ends meet - a moment she was “mentally unprepared for” [6:32]
Why Jordan decided to go to culinary school and how her externship at NYC’s iconic French restaurants, Daniel, changed the trajectory of her career [12:20]
What it was like to be one of the only women in the kitchen and how she proved herself & went against everyone’s expectations [17:14]
Jordan discusses how she fell into the world of wine and developed a deep passion [19:58]
Why Jordan decided to become a Master Sommelier (one of the most difficult and prestigious titles you can receive in the wine world) [28:30]
After years of studying and preparing for the Master Sommelier exams, Jordan shares her thoughts and frustrations with not passing [31:43]
How she dealt with the failure of not passing the exam & why a few words from Beyonce shifted her mindset on how she thought about her goals and next steps. [37:14]
Why failing her exam and getting unexpectedly pregnant was the experience she needed to take the risk and start her business, RAMONA [42:27]
Why Jordan walked away from business ventures with discriminatory practices against women and legal lessons she learned along the way [46:07]
When Jordan decided to fundraise for her business and the importance of knowing your numbers and having an authentic story when meeting with investors [51:26]
Follow Jordan:
Jordan’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jordansalcito/
RAMONA’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drinkramona/
RAMONA Website: https://www.drinkramona.com/
