Zigzagging Your Way to Success with Jordan Salcito, Founder of Ramona

Jordan Salcito is an award-winning sommelier and founder of
RAMONA, a delicious organic wine spritzer made with high-quality
standards.


Jordan began her career in New York as a hostess before becoming
a prep cook, sommelier, manager, and eventually, the Wine &
Beverage Director at David Chang’s Momofuku restaurants. She
is also a 5-time James Beard Award semi-finalist and was named
“Most Creative in the World” by World of Fine Wine
magazine.  


The idea for RAMONA came to life when Jordan became unexpectedly
pregnant with her first son and realized she wanted to take
control of her own life. She always had dreams of creating an
organic wine beverage that everyone could enjoy at a good price
point. 


Her wine spritzers have been spotted in the hands of many
celebrities from Kanye West, Alicia Keys to P Diddy and are also
loved by critics and consumers for it’s beautifully packaged
design and commitment to high-quality organic ingredients. RAMONA
is distributed nationwide at Whole Foods, directly on their
website, along with independent retail chains and restaurants
across the U.S.


We’ll talk to Jordan about how she pivoted her career from
wanting to be a writer to then a wine expert, why she walked away
from certain business ventures to follow her instincts and taking
advantage of opportunities even when the odds are against
you. 


In this episode, we’ll talk to Jordan about:


* Jordan discusses how her parents instilled a strong value
system and work ethic for herself and her siblings [2:57]


* Aspiring to be a writer, Jordan moves to NYC and takes a job as
a hostess to make ends meet - a moment she was “mentally
unprepared for” [6:32]


* Why Jordan decided to go to culinary school and how her
externship at NYC’s iconic French restaurants, Daniel, changed
the trajectory of her career [12:20]


* What it was like to be one of the only women in the kitchen
& how she proved herself and went against everyone’s
expectations [17:14]


* Jordan discusses how she fell into the world of wine and
developed a deep passion [19:58] 


* Why Jordan decided to become a Master Sommelier (one of the
most difficult and prestigious titles you can receive in the wine
world) [28:30]


* After years of studying and preparing for the Master Sommelier
exams, Jordan shares her thoughts and frustrations with not
passing [31:43]


* How she dealt with the failure of not passing the exam &
why a few words from Beyonce shifted her mindset on how she
thought about her goals and next steps. [37:14]


* Why failing her exam and getting unexpectedly pregnant was the
experience she needed to take the risk and start her business,
RAMONA [42:27]


* Why Jordan walked away from business ventures with
discriminatory practices against women and legal lessons she
learned along the way [46:07]


* When Jordan decided to fundraise for her business and the
importance of knowing your numbers and having an authentic story
when meeting with investors [51:26]


Follow Jordan:


* Jordan’s Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/jordansalcito/ 


* RAMONA’s Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/drinkramona/ 


* Website: https://www.drinkramona.com/ 


Follow Yasmin:


* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/


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