Finding a Michelin Sommelier can be a big problem and jobs boards often produce the wrong people. In the green heart of Ireland, there’s a restaurant that’s quietly become a destination for serious food lovers, one of those rare places where the food, wine, and atmosphere all feel perfectly in sync. It has a reservation book full of diners for five months ahead. But they were struggling to find a Sommelier with Michelin experience, a sommelier they could trust to keep their standards high. Many applicants came from jobs boards but none suitable with a WSET qualification and deep Michelin experience.
The challenge was simple to describe, but tricky to solve. This acclaimed Irish restaurant had just its Michelin star, and the team knew the next step was to elevate the wine program to the same level. They weren’t looking for someone who could just list names of classic producers. They wanted a sommelier who could read a table, sense a mood, and introduce guests to unexpected bottles they’d remember long after the meal.
Gourmet Recruitment, a recruitment agency which has worked with Michelin restaurants and five star hotels for over six years with deep connections across Europe’s culinary capitals, took on the search. Instead of blasting out job adverts or relying on generic databases, we started with conversations, speaking to connections we already had with deep michelin and tasting menu experience.
The conversations quickly led them to Barcelona, a city with more three-star Michelin restaurants than just about anywhere else in the world. There, we found a sommelier who’d spent years curating wine lists and guiding diners through marathon tasting menus in one of the city’s most lauded kitchens in a Three Michelin star environment. This wasn’t just someone who knew their way around rare vintages; this was a storyteller, a host, and a true collaborator in the dining experience.
For Gourmet Recruitment, it was another successful placement. We’re about finding people who will fit the profile and stay with the restaurant or hotel for the long term.
Email us with any jobs you need help with info@gourmet-recruitment.com