Jessica learned to appreciate the everyday joys of great food, beverage, and service from an early age. She happily served as the official Koolaid taste-tester and overall culinary sidekick to her blue-collar father, and learned to appreciate the steps of-service involved in executing a finely-tuned dinner from her hostess-maven mother – even if half the night’s fare was prepared with USDA commodity rations from the reservation her family belongs to (Turtle Mountain, North Dakota). At 14, she kicked off her official industry experience at a local greasy spoon, first as a dishwasher, then as a line and prep cook, and eventually as a catering manager.
A music scholarship from the University of Minnesota brought Jessica to the Twin Cities for college, during which she worked at some of the most beloved restaurant concepts of their time. While she was prepared to join the graduate school masses upon graduation, she instead heeded a colleague’s advice to meld her academics with her passions for food and wine and pursue a Masters in Wine.
This new direction led to an internship on a Croatian winery and a position providing digital content and strategic communications to a list of online independent wine importers. The next stop on her world tour was London, where she studied wine and spirit management at the esteemed Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET)—Bermondsey Street. Soon after, Jessica acquired an internship under an esteemed sommelier and mentor and worked at a top-ranked gastropub. Both experiences greatly informed Jessica’s dynamic understanding of service styles and professional hospitality management.
After returning to the States, Jessica pursued restaurant management and independent wine and spirit consulting positions before her curiosity and skillset led her to recruiting at EHS. She’s excited to gain experience in an entirely different facet of the hospitality world.
Jessica spends her downtime enjoying the local arts and music scene with her partner, bicycling both for fun and with a local philanthrophic bike racing consortium-- team Sh!tgoose: Bikes & Beer)-- and assisting progressive grassroots organizations with their campaigns.
Pro tip from Jessica: “Just as you would entrust in your server’s recommendation, you should also trust your recruiter’s career advice. Our success lies in balancing both our candidates’ and our clients’ best interests. As such, we only recommend jobs to our candidates when we see a good fit. In the end, of course, it’s YOUR experience and move – but we’re here to do the heavy (and strategic) lifting.”
jmonette@ehshospitality.com