We were lucky to catch up with Nikki Palladino recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Nikki thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

Wednesdays through Sundays, as The Beverage & Floor Manager of The Stockton Inn, I do what a sommelier does. I answer questions about wines, guide food pairings, and elevate the dining experience for guests joining us for a meal, a stay, or both. Supported by our incredible staff and owners, I do so much more than offer warm hospitality though. I honor heritage.

The Inn, just north of Lambertville and New Hope, dates back to 1710. According to local folklore, Margaret Mitchell is rumored to have penned portions of Gone With the Wind within its walls, which consist of nine artfully restored guest rooms and two distinct dining rooms – Dog & Deer Tavern and Finch.
In Finch, housemate pasta takes center stage, which makes my job even more rewarding.

As a first-generation Italian American, I get to introduce guests to grapes like Aglianico from Campania, available by the bottle, and thoughtfully pair Nerello Mascalese, which is native to Sicily, with specific dishes, as part of our six-course tasting menu curated by our incredibly talented Executive Chef, Bob Truitt.

In general, sommeliers take pride in the lists they curate. I’m especially proud of ours. It’s focused on promoting Italian American producers and Italian varietals that complement our dishes, which, like many of our wines, can’t be found anywhere else.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I was at Hagafen in Napa when I knew I was going to quit my job and study wine. I was in law school at the time. I finished school, clerked for a judge, and then told the judge, when he was retiring, that all I wanted to do was work in a restaurant in the city. So, I did that.

I enrolled in the Intensive Sommelier Training Course offered at the time, by The International Culinary Center (“ICC”), commuting five days a week from Princeton to NYC. I worked as a clerk in a local wine shop, and read Kevin Zraly’s “Windows on the World Complete Wine Course,” cover to cover. After completing the certification course, I worked my way up from sever to cellar rat to sommelier, landing jobs at Lupa and Oceana, eventually returning to the ICC, to become their wine program coordinator, before the school closed permanently.

Back then, and now still, I have “pinch me” moments. When I watch The Bear with my wife, I can’t believe that I get to do what I do and get paid for it, but we pay for it, too. The long hours. The stretches apart. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it.

I’m most proud of the fact that even when I couldn’t work in restaurants, I found ways to interact with chefs and restaurant owners – writing for The Italian American Herald, getting published in literary magazines, and working to publish my first novel. I’m proud that I never stopped teaching, and that I get to teach people about wine, generally, especially Italian wine.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Getting to connect with others about wine through my work at the restaurant, at the University where I teach, through my different writing projects, and as co-founder and co-owner of Cordino Cellars, the wine gifts business my wife and I launched a year ago.

Is there a mission driving your creative journey?

Connecting with people about food and wine, in person and in print. Is there anything better than getting to share a delicious meal with the people you love?

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nikkipalladino.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikki_pall/
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/nikki-palladino-writes
• Website: https://www.cordinocellars.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cordinocellars/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Cordino-Cellars/61556596079390/

Image Credits
Nikki Palladino