MEET THE BEDALES CREW: Stephanie
STEPHANIE FLANAGAN - BRAND & HOSPITALITY DIRECTOR
You can call her Stevie
MEET STEPHANIE FLANAGAN - Brand & Hospitality Director, co-founder of BOB’s Lobster
Date Joined Bedales:
August 2012
Where is home for you:
Philadelphia, PA
What brought you to London, if this is not home?
Rob Dann, the future of Bedales of Borough, & the embryotic idea that would grow into BOB’s Lobster are all reasons that solidified my move to London. Meeting Rob in NYC, while working with AvroKo Hospitality group (Public, Saxon + Parole, Beauty & Essex), he shared with me his ambitious & exciting plans to become the MD of a group of quirky & independent wine bars. I was sold on his charisma, excitement & passion for hospitality.
How did you end up in hospitality?
I have been working in hospitality since I was 14 years old, while I never originally thought it was going to become my career I quickly understood the enjoyment, as well as education, that food & wine inspires. From chef to wine maker, all is done with creativity & with the ultimate goal for it to be shared. I love being guest facing, gaining trust, and giving experiences that are above & beyond what they are expecting.
What is it about wine that you love?
That it can be completely & utterly geeky (getting stoked about soil, altitude, aspect is reserved for the nerdy elite), self-indulgent, self-aggrandizing while simultaneous being an amazing social tool which aides in sharing the stories of travel, discovery, & history – all represented by the bottle. Also, a great social lubricant!
What is your first memory of Bedales Wines?
Doing the Bedales-walking-tour from Bedales at Spitalfields to Bedales at Leadenhall to Bedales of Borough and being so excited to call all of these amazing markets ‘home.’
What is your “go- to” grape?
Difficult to say, because I crave each grape/region depending on my mood (& finances!). Give me a Northern Rhone Syrah if I just got paid, or an easy drinking Negroamaro to have on my couch, but chances are that most days of the week a white, aromatic grape will have my heart: Riesling is my true love.
What are you drinking when not drinking wine?
Dirty, filthy, Gin Martinis.
What is your favourite dish on the menu at Bedales?
I just love that we have our own in-house charcuterie programme. Guests love the idea of meat & cheese with wine, and because of this programme our platter is unmatched!
What always ends up coming with you in your suitcase?
It is part of my travel routine to buy books at the airport, so a couple of new novels will always be tucked in.
When someone visits you in London, where MUST you take them?
Obviously Borough Market, and then we make way to Maltby Street Market, and finish on Bermondsey Street at 214 for a well deserved cocktail after all that food.
Where was the last place you ate, that just blew your mind?
The Laughing Heart, the food & the wine are served up by excitable & passionate individuals – it is consistently a quality time.