Brigadoon Weekend
Your weekly dose of the emerging issues + independent thinkers shaping commerce + culture
October 9, 2021
Get to Know:
André Hueston Mack
André Hueston Mack is an American sommelier, winemaker, and author.
He is the first African American to win the title of Best Young Sommelier in America (2003) and was the runner-up for Best Sommelier in North America in 2004.
Despite having a successful career with Citicorp Investment Services, Mack decided to leave his “desk job” to pursue his passion for wine. While working as a sommelier in San Antonio, Mack discovered the joys of introducing guests to the little-known vineyards that first attracted him to the business and “the instant gratification of a guest’s reaction.”
While still in Texas, Mack was awarded the prestigious title of Best Young Sommelier in America by the highly regarded Chaine des Rotisseurs. This recognition led to a job as a sommelier at Thomas Keller’s world-renowned French Laundry in Yountville, California. Mack went on to accept the position of Head Sommelier at Keller’s equally famed Per Se in New York City, where he managed a 1500-selection award-winning wine list and regularly consulted with Chef Keller on the menu and pairing development.
Based on the success of his wine labels, in 2011, Mack established Get Fraiche Cru, a boutique graphic design firm, for which he serves as creative director.
Mack has been married since 2008 to author Phoebe Damrosch, whose New York Times notable book, Service Included: Four-Star Secrets of an Eavesdropping Waiter, detailed their courtship and collaboration in opening Per Se restaurant. Mack is an ardent wine educator who hosts seminars and leads panel discussions at several of the country’s most prestigious food and wine gatherings, including Aspen Food and Wine and Newport Mansions Wine and Food Festival.
Mack has been featured in major publications such as Food and Wine, Wine & Spirits Magazine, New York Times, The Huffington Post, and Wall Street Journal.
Three reasons why André Hueston Mack inspires and motivates the Brigadoon network:
+ He is the first African American to win the title of Best Young Sommelier in America (2003) and was the runner-up for the title of Best Sommelier in North America in 2004
+ Honored in 2007 with The Network Journal’s 40-Under-Forty Achievement Award
+ Author of 99 Bottles: A Black Sheep’s Guide to Life-Changing Wines
Bonus: Watch Mack try 20 red wines under $15 - click here.
Five Weekend Reads:
A battle of the bubbles: War comes to the Prosecco hills: A Croatian wine, Prosek, seeks an official designation, and Prosecco makers are up in arms. But they also can’t agree on what, exactly, should be called Prosecco.
NYT
Is Kanoa Igarashi the LeBron of surfing? Born in Surf City USA, and the descendant of an actual samurai, Japan’s surfing superstar is ready for the sport’s debut on the world stage.
Outside
Electric cars have hit an inflection point: One sign EVs are no longer the auto industry’s neglected stepchild? Norway could sell its last gas-powered car as soon as next year.
Robinson Meyer
Misinformation is about to get so much worse: A conversation with the former Google CEO Eric Schmidt.
Saahil Desai
Innovating in existing markets: 3 lessons from LEGO: LEGO’s journey from market leader to the brink of bankruptcy and back yields valuable insights for companies seeking to revitalize mature products.
MIT
Quote of the Week:
"The distance between number one and number two is always a constant. If you want to improve the organization, you have to improve yourself and the organization gets pulled up with you. That is a big lesson. I cannot just expect the organization to improve if I don't improve myself and lift the organization, because that distance is a constant." -- Indra Nooyi
10 songs for this weekend
Holy - Frightened Rabbit
Streets of Bakersfield - Dwight Yoakam with Buck Owens
Numb (Mike Hedges Mix) - U2
What Happened? - Gilligan Moss
I Love It (feat. Charli XCX) - Icona Pop
Lonely is the Night - Billy Squier
Skip - SuperParka
Cemetery Gates - The Smiths
Loud Places - Jamie xx
Electrocuted - Babe Rainbow
Listen here.
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Brigadoon October Call:
Do one thing well
David Hieatt | Co-Founder of Hiut Denim Co + The Do Lectures
2:00 pm ET | Wednesday, October 20, 2021
$45 | Brigadoon Members attend free
Sign up today.
Have a great weekend.
-Marc
Marc A. Ross | Founder + Chief Curator @ Brigadoon
Brigadoon is Global Street Smarts.
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shaping commerce + culture
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