Q&A with Adam Witherspoon
Adam Witherspoon has joyfully frolleked through the Minneapolis food and beverage community since helping Jamie Malone and crew open the late Scena Tavern, and has since had the privilege of curating beverage programs at beloved haunts such as Grand Cafe, Martina, Colita, Alma, and most recently serving as the opening Beverage Director of the Four Seasons Minneapolis.
Ever grateful for his exceptional peers and spaces that humble and inspire him to see outside of the glass, the secret sauce that keeps him curious is the opportunity to partake in the virtuous cycle of giving and receiving, as well as sharing in the collective human experience which he believes is at the essence of good imbibing and being a steward of the trade.
Taking a brief step back from the day to day operations of restaurant life in order to map out a path towards being an operator of his own Adam has found a renewed peace and joy in the act of service through helping the team at Paris Dining Club execute hospitality in the rawest forms, whether it be at guests home or in the PDC studio space, that in his eyes fully encapsulates hospitality with flavor.
This month we're exploring the Basque region— what's something about this part of the world that you find fun or exciting?
The Basque, and Spain more broadly, is such a beautifully defiant and independent culture. It reminds me of ourselves here in the states in many ways.
We're all under one proverbial roof, but with a lot of unique ways of being and understanding our world that are as different from one neighboring state to the next.
Spain, from the outside in, shares a lot of these individualistic leanings, but with old world sensibilities, styles, and generations of cultural growth we are yet to experience.
What's your go-to everyday wine, and which wine do you splurge on or save for a special occasion?
a) Anyone remember when Do Ferreiro Albarino was sort of affordable? I do. Those were the best of times. Now I drink white wine out of liter bottles. From where you ask? Anywhere. That's where.
b) If someone could show me where I could get my hands on a bottle of Edmond Vatan Sancerre I would do naughty things to them.
Your social group is full of bon vivants— tell us the most fun thing about dining with people who love food & wine.
The best part of being blessed with bon vivants for friends, so assured in their convictions and sense of self, is not that their personal sensibilities have magically imprinted on me, but simply being in their presence has shown me how to more fully articulate myself and better live into my own sense of timeless style.
We all have uniqueness in us, but often it takes having the opportunity to watch others compose themselves in a way that only they can do that gives us the license and the confidence to do so ourselves.
Everytime I sit down to dine or work with these people I learn more about myself by watching them be unequivocally themselves.