Monica Lee loves to eat and drink. It was a well-made gimlet in 2015 that started Monica’s journey down the hospitality rabbit hole, after leaving many years of “respectable” jobs in “respectable” offices. Soon, restaurants became her industry and world.

Self-proclaimed jack of all trades and master of very little, Monica initially trained as a cocktail bartender utilizing the famed and exacting Petraske method of graduated cylinders and hand-cut ice. Armed with this knowledge, she then ran the beverage programs at Daikaya’s constellation of restaurants, picking up knowledge of sake, shochu, and Japanese whisky along the way. Not content to sit still during COVID, she sought a position at a local craft brewery and found joy pouring draft beer for a while. But it was as General Manager at beloved Mt. Pleasant institution Ellē where wine really captured her interest.

Monica’s practical philosophy on food & wine is “ABT: Always Be Tasting.” Great wine, people, and stories can be found everywhere (especially at the bottom of a bottle). It is her privilege to share what she’s learned and tasted with you at Henceforth,.