Today we’d like to introduce you to Stefanie Rouh.
Hi Stefanie, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, how can you bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started in the restaurant industry as a hostess in High School. For the entirety of my High School journey, I had plans to go to Law School and make my way into the legal profession. After working in a restaurant for a few weeks, I returned and told my parents I wanted to own a restaurant. To say they weren’t thrilled is probably an understatement. But hospitality was something that I just felt so passionate about! I was already accepted into college at the University of North Florida in my hometown, but I vowed to find a Hospitality program somewhere and transfer. Two years later, I was accepted to the University of Central Florida Rosen College of Hospitality and moved to Orlando. I continued working with the restaurant group I started with in Jacksonville and transferred to a location in Winter Springs. I spent three years finishing up my degree at Rosen College and graduated with Honors. I took a salaried management position with my company and began my journey into Restaurant Management! My first position taught me so many things I didn’t realize I needed to learn but in a good way. I spent almost 12 years with that company and moved on to an independently-owned restaurant, Prato, located in Winter Park. I started with Prato initially as a server, but after a few months was offered an hourly management position with them and eventually was offered a position as a salaried manager.
I had the privilege to work for the Park Lights hospitality family for over 5 years at Prato and as the opening General Manager of the sister restaurant Luke’s. My next venture took me into a smaller independent restaurant, Pig Floyd’s. Pig Floyd’s is owned by a friend of mine, Thomas Ward. We built a friendship while he was a regular at Prato, and I decided to join his team as he expanded his brand. Pig Floyd has this energy similar to Prato in so many ways that I immediately loved it. The food is amazing but not pretentious. The kitchen is open, loud, and fast-paced. The space is small, so it always feels hospitable. It allowed me to return to the kitchen and work on a line again. And it let me learn a set of challenges in operations that I had not seen before since the operation was much smaller than the restaurants I had previously run. After almost two years, I decided to step outside the restaurant industry. I loved my time at Pig Floyd’s and restaurants in general, but as I got older, I wanted a more regular schedule and fewer late nights. I joke and tell people that I just wanted to go to bed before midnight if I wanted to, and most nights, I am in bed by 9:30! I nervously transitioned into Wine Sales working as a Sales Rep for Breakthru Beverage. I wondered how that role would suit me, someone who had almost exclusively worked in restaurants. I did not see myself as a salesperson. And in many ways, I still do not see myself as a salesperson. However, I found it to be even more rewarding! I could help so many more restaurants and businesses be successful. And I got to do that with fun things like teaching employees about wine or sharing amazing wines with guests in restaurants or retail shops. I didn’t have to hire employees, field complaints from guests, or get crushed working a shift in the kitchen. I got to genuinely help restaurants figure out their beverage programs, introduce awesome wines to their guests, and by default, still, be a part of building amazing guest experiences. And over 4 years later, I am now a Sales Consultant for Winebow Fine Wine and Spirits. I represent family and sole proprietorship wineries and distilleries from all over the world. So not only do I get to work with my local restaurants in my community, but I also get to represent families out in the market and share their stories and wines or spirits. I am certain that I made the right decision. And I get to do all that and go to bed before midnight every night!
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I faced many challenges early in my restaurant management career. I had two great female mentors who guided me along the way. But the restaurant industry was a male-dominated field back almost 20 years ago. Not only was I very young and still maturing as a person, but I was also learning to manage people while often not being taken seriously or mentored by male superiors. I allowed myself to be taken advantage of many times by being willing to work extra hours, work on extra projects, and in general just work as much as possible to be taken seriously. I walked away from my first management position because I was severely underpaid and overworked. When I stepped back into management at Prato, I was clear with my boss about my previous managing experience. He was careful to be mindful of those boundaries but also knew that I was committed to the success of our restaurant. I am very thankful every day that I decided to take that opportunity. My years at Prato are some of the best years of my life. Since then, every chance I have had professionally has been because of my time at Prato. And many of my relationships and experiences are linked to Prato as well.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
The company that I currently work for is Winebow Fine Wine and Spirits. Winebow distributes family-owned wines and spirits in 19 states across the country. Winebow also has an import company, Winebow Imports, which imports from wineries worldwide. We only represent wines owned by a family or a sole or joint proprietorship. We don’t represent large conglomerate wines, as we see value in having a close relationship with our partners. We have a little ‘big box’ retail presence; you won’t find many of my wines in grocery stores or convenience stores. Our wines align more with independent wine shops, liquor stores, and family-owned chains such as ABC.
We also have a wide array of wines ranging from super high-end expensive to everyday drinkers that are very affordable. Therefore, we are a great fit with many types of restaurants, from the mom-and-pop sushi restaurant in a strip mall to fine dining white tablecloth restaurants. My current territory covers Dr. Phillips and the International Drive area of Orlando, where I work with small and large restaurants to help them curate their perfect beverage program. I want to think that my customers would say I am known for using my previous experiences as a restaurant operator to make a thoughtful analysis of their restaurants and bring them wines or spirits that are perfect for them. In addition to my full-time job as a sales consultant for Winebow, I offer free-lance consulting for local restaurants needing help in cost analysis, beverage program building, training materials, etc. I am most proud that almost every wine I bring to my customers has a story and is created with pride. What sets me apart from other Sales Consultants is that my company does not have typical “sales goals.” I can bring specific products to an account to try to sell them. I get to choose what I want to show my guests because it is a good fit for them. I can let my customers tell me what they need- instead of trying to sell them what I need to sell to hit a goal.
Are books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
Books: I go through phases with reading. I will have weeks or months when I will tear through books, just as long as I won’t pick one up. Professionally, the books I have found most useful would be The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, and Mindset by Carol Dweck. It has been a bit since I have reread those. This may make me crack one of them open! I read various types of books, from “self-help” to fiction to autobiographies.
Apps: All of my music apps get a lot of use. I use both Apple and Spotify. Apple is my go-to for albums, but I love the playlists on Spotify. My friends and I shared a playlist that we can all collaborate on today, which is fun. We can add songs to it so that it will be ever-changing. I also love my Calm app. My work gives employees a subscription which I find so amazing. There are many tools to help with stress management, meditation, and what I use most for sleep! Aside from the usual social media sites (Instagram and Facebook), I love Pinterest. It is often how I will wind down at night.
Podcasts: I almost always listen to a Podcast. My favorites are the Joe Rogan Experience, My Favorite Murder, New Mindset Who Dis, The Genius Life, Chasing Excellence, The Goal Digger Podcast, and Huberman Lab. I often listen to JRE, but I rotate them around randomly and often binge a few episodes in a row of any of these. I am also a co-host on a local podcast called “OffCuts” with Local Chef Eliott Hillis. We talk about the local restaurant scene in Orlando and deeply dive into culinary ideas and trends, pop culture, etc. We have been on a hiatus but are plotting our resurgence!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @stefwithanf1018
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010170090447
