Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrey Ivanov
Hi Andrey, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My family and I were part of the first class of the green card lottery to the US from Russia. We immigrated in November of 1992 and started out in Dutch Town. Moving from Siberia to St. Louis was a big change, but when you’re 7 nothing ever seems as daunting. We started out with basically nothing except some help from the local community of already established Russian speaking immigrants. My parents eventually went back to school for their second careers and we moved to Clayton and eventually they bought their house in Creve Couer. I attended St. Louis Public Schools through middle school, participating in the desegregation program in the other direction. It gave me a fantastic education and an opportunity to cultivate a diverse group of friends all over the area. I then attended Parkway North High School and earned a scholarship to SLU.
I started working in fine dining back in 2002 when St. Louis first said hello to P.F. Chang’s. I was in high school and was amazed at the fact people would wait for 3 hours to have elevated Chinese fusion, but that is one of the best introductions to high volume dining anyone could have asked for. I worked for the company for 3 years becoming one of their youngest corporate trainers before making a pit stop at Brio. That definitely took the taste for corporate restaurants out of my mouth and I have only worked for independent restaurants since.
This whole time I was attending St. Louis University, where I worked full time except when I was studying abroad. I lived in Brussels, Belgium for nearly a year, and also spent some time in Madrid and Bulgaria. I graduated in January of 2008 with a triple major in International Business, Economics, and Russian Studies. As you can imagine, this was a great time to go into the field I was interested in, which was sales… seeing as how selling motor oil or Aflac were not my top career starter choices I decided to stay in hospitality and become a sommelier!
When I passed my Introductory and Certified Exams in 2009, I was working at Vin de Set under Scott Gaghan. I left Lafayette Square for a bit to open Brasserie by Niche, where I became the AGM and Sommelier/Wine Buyer. I then returned to Lafayette Square to work at 33 Wine Bar, where I was lucky enough to pass my Advanced Sommelier Exam in 2011 receiving the Rudd Scholarship and Johnston Medal for the highest overall score in the country on the exam that year.
From there, I turned to my biggest challenge and my proudest time in St. Louis, opening Elaia & Olio as the GM and Beverage Director. Working for Ben Poremba and learning fine dining and attention to detail to an international standard was one of the toughest jobs of my career. I truly don’t believe I could have achieved many of my future accolades without having gone through the gauntlet of those two restaurants simultaneously. I still remember the 10 course tasting menu whose pairings featured a wine from 10 different countries that touched the Mediterranean and made from 10 different grapes! During this time I was also given sommelier honors from Wine & Spirits Best New Sommelier 2013, Wine Enthusiast Top 40 Under 40 (2015), and was awarded the Wine & Spirits Top 100 Wine Restaurants in America (2014, 2015). I also competed in the TopSomm and Chaine des Rotisseurs Best Young Sommelier competitions and won every Midwest regional in both from 2012-2015. I finished 3rd for TopSomm in 2015, and won the Best Young Sommelier USA competition in 2015 as well- the only person from the midwest to have ever won this competition!
I left Elaia & Olio to open Reeds American Table in 2015. This was also a great opportunity and it also won the Top 100 Wine Restaurants in the US in 2016 and 2017. In 2016 I was also named one of the Food & Wine Magazine Sommeliers of the Year. This entire time, I was preparing for the Master Sommelier Exam, and in 2017 the Exam moved to St. Louis. I think the pressure of that year being a year I had to pass the tasting portion or start over combined with the pressure of hosting the exam gave me a very small chance of success. After failing the exam on home turf, for the fifth time no less, I decided it was time for a change of scenery and I moved to San Francisco at the end of the year.
The biggest reason for the change was to get better at tasting. Our tasting group in St. Louis is legendary. It has produced 16 Advanced Sommeliers and 2 Master Sommeliers since 2010, a gigantic feat for a mid-sized market. I did move to SF to join another amazing group, one that graduated 11 Master Sommeliers between 2016 and 2019 alone! In SF, I started to work at Lazy Bear, a 2 Michelin Start restaurant in the Mission neighborhood. It was an amazing experience, and reminiscent of the challenge of Elaia & Olio. That restaurant is still the toughest ticket to score in SF and has been sold out for 12 years! I became the Wine Director there in 2020 and stayed on until my departure from the city in 2023.
In 2018, I finally passed the MS Exam on my 6th attempt. I passed all three parts and was thrilled to be finished with this process. Except… well, the 2018 exam was a unique one. It was one that was tainted by an over exaggerated cheating scandal and all but one member of our class was stripped of the MS pin and had to retake the tasting portion of the exam. I was one of 6 persons to pass the exam again 3 months later and hold the distinction of being one of two people that have passed 4 parts of the MS exam in one year!
Rewind, since 2014 I was also helping to put together a wine import portfolio called Bliss. In 2015 I became the National Sales Manager for the US and we started selling the wines in Mexico in 2018. I walked away from that title in 2020 to focus on Lazy Bear full time, but I came back in 2022 when I was offered the opportunity to purchase the US side of the business. I now own Bliss Wine Imports and our DTC side Bliss Wine Concierge in the US and help wit our Mexican sister company BlissMX. In 2023, I finally realized how much I dislike cold weather and finally said good bye to Fogust (August in SF) for the final time. I am now based in Mexico City and do national wine sales in the US as well as events and consulting opportunities in Mexico.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
If it is smooth, something is not quite right or you’re not trying hard enough!
The 2018 situation was definitely a big curveball. 2020 provided many challenges, but also many new opportunities. I don’t think I’ve ever been so busy!
Now living in another country, it is a constant challenge to keep up with the language skills and to juggle such an intense travel schedule. I’ve been home for about 8 days per month since the start of the year.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am most likely remembered for walking down a path less traveled. I tend to gravitate towards wine regions that are not on everyone’s radar. These places tell an amazing story, and produce world class wines, but have for one reason or another been overlooked as of late.
Our portfolio features wines from Austria, Australia, Georgia, Germany, Portugal, and Slovenia. This year I also traveled to South Africa and am a huge fan of Sherry, Northern Italy, and the wines of Santa Barbara County in California.
Probably the coolest place I’ve visited in the past few years is Madeira, Portugal. The history and the unique style of wine produced there is unparalleled. Oh, and trying wine from 1789 was cool too!
I specialize in education- both of the guest and of the staff. I am most proud of the many Certified and Advanced Sommeliers I have been able to coach over the finish line. I am incredibly proud of the community of sommeliers in St. Louis that still exists to this day.
I am also glad that I have been able to train my replacement and move on to a new chapter of my career at every job I’ve had being a sommelier. Too many times we see people climb over anyone as fast as possible to gain a personal achievement. I believe in bringing up those you work with and handing off the baton.
How do you define success?
Being able to walk away from a project better than how I found it. Leaving that project in capable and excited hands that will make it their own. Having people recognize something you did 10 years ago as well as something you did last month. The long game, essentially, is much more important than the immediate.
Pricing:
- Bliss Wine Concierge Membership is about $185 per month.
- The average bottle of Bliss Wine is just $30.
- I am open to private events around the world, please inquire for pricing!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.blisswineconcierge.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreyivanov_ms/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrey.ivanov.79219754
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3UfT9aJ5MZEaONfVSrTrkA
