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CRAVE BlogCocktails for Everyone!
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Anyone who is interested in wine, spirits, cocktails, the hottest new restaurants, and the people behind them needs to listen to the show Cocktails for Everyone! The creation of local wine and spirits expert, Catherine Stanton Schiff, Cocktails for Everyone! gives listeners the fun, behind the scenes scoop on what’s hot in wine, spirits, and food in Boston and around the country.
Catherine not only has an impressive background that spans two decades as a sales and marketing executive in the alcohol beverage industry, but she is a down-to-earth hostess with so much knowledge that listening to her show is like getting together with some of the world’s most famous wine and food personalities for cocktails, fun, informative, engaging, and leaves you looking forward to next week!
Catherine was kind enough to answer my questions about the show which airs every Thursday from 5-6 EST.
How did Cocktails for Everyone! start?
I had actually wanted to do a radio show for a while…I was a Communications major at BC, and had always intended to go into journalism, but (happily) ended up in the alcohol beverage business after graduation in sales & marketing. One of my favorite aspects of working in the beer, spirits, wine & restaurant industries over the past two decades was meeting the people behind the brands. I would work with visiting winemakers, distillers and brewers, listening to their stories about how they got into the business as well as how brands were conceived and marketed as we drove around to visit accounts. I’ve also been to some amazing places around the world where these products are made and I thought it would be interesting to share with others who share the same passion for cocktail culture.
I have a beverage consulting business, and had pitched my show idea to a few Boston radio people that I knew, with no success…I was discouraged, but didn’t give up. I discovered the VoiceAmerica Network (the largest internet radio network in the country) and the pieces all came together. VoiceAmerica loved the show concept and I have a great network of guests to tap into through my years in the industry. We launched May 20th from the Nantucket Wine Festival and went from 2,000 listeners after 2 weeks in May, to 100,000 in June and 150,000 in July! Now brands and publicists are calling me to get on the show!
You have had an incredible variety of guests so far. Any favorites or surprises? Who would your dream guest be and why?
The alcohol beverage and restaurant industries have some fascinating people, and I have been fortunate to have some incredible guests who are legends in their field. They have all been wonderful to speak with, sharing their passion for what they do along with humor and great insight. I’ve loved speaking with Jeff Stewart (Buena Vista), Ondine Chattan (Geyser Peak), Tilar Mazzeo (“The Widow Cliquot” and “Back Lane Wineries of Napa & Sonoma”), Mark Hellendrung (Narragansett Beer) and Brice Cutrer Jones (Sonoma Cutrer & Emeritus Vineyards), Eileen Crane (Domaine Carneros) and Allison Evanow (Square One Organic Spirits). I also had some great Boston guys on – TJ Douglas (The Urban Grape) and Michael Scelfo & Aaron Butler (Russell House Tavern) who were fun & engaging to talk to. I have some amazing guests coming up, including legendary mixologists Dale DeGroff, who is widely credited with the classic cocktail resurgence, and Tony Abou-Ganim, as well as a few people from Food Network. My dream guest right now is Ina Garten – I love her show, her personality and her entertaining philosophy – sharing great cocktails, wine and food with friends is what it’s all about. I’m actually in discussions with her publicist, so stay tuned!
What advice do you have for other women who are interested in starting a business or making a career change?
The advice I would give to someone who is starting a new business is it’s much harder than you think it’s going to be, but hang in there. Make sure you have a good support group – friends, family, business acquaintances– but realize that it all comes down to you to make it happen. Network, network, network – I cannot stress that enough! Whether it’s in person, like at a Downtown Women’s Club event, or online through CRAVE or LinkedIn, make sure you continue to build your connections, as you never know who you will meet that can help your business in some way. Embrace social media – it is the best and most efficient way to get your message out…just be cognizant of the fact that it can be very time consuming, so you have to manage it properly. Lastly, make sure you’re doing something that you love, that engages you and you are passionate about – it will motivate you each day and make the long hours that you’re working fly by!
Is there anything else you would like to tell us about the show?
It’s always 5 o’clock somewhere, so our show airs live every Thursday from 5-6 pm EST on VoiceAmerica.com, so you can listen at your desk and get ready to go out and have a cocktail! If you can’t listen live, it’s available a few hours after the show through the same link, or as a free podcast download on iTunes. I try to mix it up, between winemakers, chefs, authors, mixologists…there’s always something for everyone! People can also follow us on our Facebook Fan Page (Cocktails for Everyone!) and on Twitter (@Cocktails4Evry1). Cheers!