Well, hello there and welcome to another episode of Industry Night with me, Nycci Nellis. I am back in Delaplane at the beautiful Barrel Oak Winery & Brewery.


One of the things I love most about living in the DC Metro area is that we are just a short drive to a completely and totally different experience. I mean — truffle hunting in Virginia?! Yes please. Stayed tuned for that Culpeper show and follow me @nyccinellis for all the photos, videos and highlights from that trip.

And to my point about how close we are to different experiences. Just a 60 minute drive from DC and here I am at this beautiful winery and brewery in Delaplane, Virginia. What I love about the ride out here is you go from a 4 lane highway, to a 2 lane highway, to a single road — it gets greener and greener — and your blood pressure regulates. At least mines does.

And let’s talk today’s show!

Scott Drewno & Danny Lee. I’ve known these two for so long — I just can’t believe they’re both this old.

So I was doing some research. I thought I’d met Danny first but I think I may have met Scott first.

Danny & his mom, Mama Lee opened up Mandu around the corner from my old apartment on 18th & T in 2006. David and I frequented the spot but I have a very clear memory of meeting Danny when he opened up the 2nd Mandu in the Mt Vernon Triangle area in 2011. I think on opening night — we were with David Hagedorn & Michael Widomski — That area was just coming to life and Mandu, this beautiful gem serving Authentic Korean food.

Now Scott came to town in 2007 and I remember it clearly! He was about 6 months out from opening up The Source with Wolfgang Puck when he came to town to do meet & greets with people in the food space in DC. We had dinner at Central. I got to know Scott and his story and actually so did everyone who was covering the DC dining scene at that time — and that was the time of blogs — so there were a lot of people! He even followed up with a thank you note — cause his mama taught him that.

In 2017, Danny and Scott created the Fried Rice Collective — You know all their Award winning properties: Chiko, now 4 of them, Anju with chef Angel Baretto and the recently launched breakfast concept, I Egg You (which also turns into an event space called the Shell — get it).

So how did these two come together? Hold for a moment please.

Marie Levitt, who grew up in the Mountains just Northeast of France right next to Alsace is now the director of wholesale and outside sales for Barrel Oak. We are going to chat briefly about The rise of VA wines and the importance on seeing VA wines in distribution.

Let’s talk shop ~

Highlites with time stamps:

Guests Social Media Links:

• Scott Drewno

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scottdrewno?igsh=cGY3anAxeGpjZG9w
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scott.drewno.9
Twitter: https://x.com/scottdrewno?s=21

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anjufrc?igsh=ODB1NDYzcXBjbG92 https://www.instagram.com/chikofrc?igsh=ZnJsYWptNnoyN3Fq https://www.instagram.com/ieggyou?igsh=MWNvbHRicDR6MW5mOQ==
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CHIKOFRC https://www.facebook.com/ieggyoudc https://www.facebook.com/anjufrcTwitter: https://x.com/anjufrc?s=21 https://x.com/chikofrc?s=21 https://x.com/ieggyoudc?s=21

• Danny Lee

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dannyleedc?igsh=MWVlbm1lMW56dTltdA==
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danny.lee.3705
Twitter: https://x.com/dannyleedc?s=21

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anjufrc?igsh=ODB1NDYzcXBjbG92 https://www.instagram.com/chikofrc?igsh=ZnJsYWptNnoyN3Fq https://www.instagram.com/ieggyou?igsh=MWNvbHRicDR6MW5mOQ==
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CHIKOFRC https://www.facebook.com/ieggyoudc https://www.facebook.com/anjufrc
Twitter: https://x.com/anjufrc?s=21 https://x.com/chikofrc?s=21 https://x.com/ieggyoudc?s=21

Featuring Nycci Nellis

https://www.instagram.com/nyccinellis/https://www.thelistareyouonit.com/

Produced by Heartcast Mediahttp://www.heartcastmedia.com

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction
05:25 - IEGU and Anju Collaboration, Event Venue Insights
14:32 - From Mother's Deli to Culinary Mastery
21:11 - Culinary Foundations at a Friend's Winery Farm
23:41 - Learning Culinary Basics in Restaurant Environment
27:41 - Handling Criticism with Grace and Professionalism
37:09 - Decision-Making Process and Operational Strategy
38:54 - Efficiency in Casual Dining Service
46:37 - Chico Capitol Hill's Heritage and Team Dynamics
58:23 - Industry Evolution and Future Prospects
01:00:55 - Pre-Pandemic Experience: Relishing DC's Hospitality
01:07:51 - Outro