Welcome to episode 1176, in which host Polly Hammond interviews Dave Foss, this week on Uncorked. This week, we welcome Dave Foss who has worked in hospitality for over 27 years in virtually every facet of the food and beverage industry. He is currently a partner at Invictus Hospitality a food and beverage consulting firm that works with hotels and restaurants across the United States. He is also an Operating Partner at LaLou, a beloved wine bar in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. His passion for beverage led him to manage a series of programs on the West Coast, both at the Mondrian Hotel and later at Fairfax Partners Restaurant Group, overseeing four properties in the Los Angeles area. Upon returning to the East Coast, Dave went on to oversee the beverage programs at the Soho and Tribeca Grand Hotels in Lower Manhattan. In 2011 Dave connected with Epicurean Group co-owner Joe Campanale, who had recently opened Anfora, a wine bar in NYC’s West Village; the fellow Italian wine obsessives clicked, and soon Dave began a stint at Anfora which grew into nearly a decade of wine buying for the highly regarded establishment. Most recently, Dave and Campanale realized a dream that began when they first met: to open a neighborhood wine bar together. LaLou – which Eater called “an exciting natural wine bar from some of NYC’s most underrated pros” – debuted in June 2019, and spotlights small production wines from Dave and Joe’s favorite producers and regions around the world. In 2015, Dave joined Invictus Hospitality with long time consulting partners Michael Tipps and Homan Taghdiri. Invictus works consults for restaurants, bars and hotels in nearly all types of markets, from as big as Los Angeles and New York City to as small as Havre, Montana. Dave is also a fixture at the Restaurant and Bar Convention held every year in Las Vegas speaking on numerous subject, with a general focus towards wine and beverage. His topic at the 2022 wine2wine Business Forum: Beware the wine trends that start in NYC and other urban centers To find out more about Dave Foss visit: sommeliersocietyofamerica.org/david-foss More about the host: Polly is Founder and CEO of 5forests. She splits her time between Barcelona, Auckland, and Napa, consulting, writing, and speaking about the trends that impact today’s wine businesses. She’s an advisor to New Zealand Trade & Enterprise, host of Uncorked with the Italian Wine Podcast, cohost of the Real Business of Wine with Robert Joseph, and, occasionally, a knitter. Polly is a graduate of the University of Southern California, where she earned degrees in International Relations and French. Those studies led to a deep and abiding love affair with behavioral Economics, and her wine work is based on insights into all the crazy and irrational reasons consumers engage with brands. With over 20 years’ experience in growing successful companies, Polly knows first-hand the challenges faced by independent businesses. She approaches each client experience with empathy and understanding for what it takes to adapt and thrive in the real world. To learn more visit: Twitter: @mme_hammond Instagram: @pollyhammond_ website: 5forests.com/ Let's keep in touch! Follow us on our social media channels: Instagram @italianwinepodcast Facebook @ItalianWinePodcast Twitter @itawinepodcast Tiktok @MammaJumboShrimp LinkedIn @ItalianWinePodcast If you feel like helping us, donate here www.italianwinepodcast.com/donate-to-show/ Until next time, Cin Cin!