Meet the Sommelier: ARIEL LACAYO of Espoleta in NYC

"Service and hospitality are concepts that are so important yet it's something most people don't get involved with because they don't realize that the little things make a big difference in the overall dining experience," said Lacayo. "It's all about how you take care of your customer."

The restaurant business has been in Lacayo's blood since his days growing up in Nicaragua. His father has owned the oldest steakhouse in Nicaragua since 1959, and Lacayo's brothers run additional outposts of the chain in Nicaragua and El Salvador. Along with learning the key elements of the business of food and wine, he would go to management meetings with his father, as well as assist his mother in the kitchen. Through these experiences, Lacayo was exposed to both sides of the restaurant business from a very early age.

That knowledge helped to inform his four-year experience at Nikolai's Roof, which at that time was the only four-star restaurant in Atlanta. There, he moved up through the ranks before eventually joining the staff at famed New York City Italian restaurant Il Cantinori and forming a strong professional relationship with chef and restaurateur Pino Luongo. Over the next 10 years, Lacayo worked with Luongo at all of his restaurants, at one point splitting his time between Le Madri and Cocco Pazzo in New York City and Sappore di Mare in the Hamptons. In 1991, named Lacayo the Best Maître D' in New York City for his exceptional work in those three restaurants.

Following his successful stint with Pino Luongo Restaurant Group, Lacayo co-founded Latin American eatery Patria, where he served as Manager and Maître D'. This celebrated restaurant was the first upscale Latino restaurant in New York City, earning a coveted three-star review from the New York Times, due in part to the talent and work ethic Lacayo cultivated at the restaurant. He brought together a powerhouse group of up-and-coming Latino chefs that included Douglas Rodriguez, Alex Garcia, and Aaron Sanchez. Outside of the kitchen, Lacayo got his first taste of restaurant consulting as he created a school of service, teaching his staff everything from how to walk to how to serve with aplomb. Today all of those servers are either managers in top New York City restaurants or owners of restaurants in their own countries-a fact that brings Lacayo much pride.

In the ensuing years, Lacayo briefly returned in Latin America to open the El Salvador location of his family's restaurant chain, serving as a partner alongside his father before once again returning to the United States and working with first-class restaurants like the Russian Tea Room, Centolire and Il Molino, for whom he served as Maître D' and Dining Room Manager at the restaurant's Aspen, CO location. Lacayo spent six months in Paris honing his skills at some of the city's top restaurants and today serves as General Manager for Babalu, a popular Latin eatery in the Bronx that features the one-of-a-kind food of Lacayo's old friend, Chef Alex Garcia.

Broadwayworld.com had the opportunity to interview Ariel Lacayo about his career and Espoleta which recently opened at 334 Bowery in New York City.

What special personal qualities or talents have enhanced your career?

I was born and raised in the restaurant world. My father has owned restaurants for the last 50 years and they still thrive today. I honed my skills of acquired taste from my adolescence onward to my adulthood. I am also well travelled and have learned so much about wines from regional and international wine makers.

Who have been some of your professional mentors or individuals that have inspired your work?

Some of the greatest masters of sommeliers named Andrea Immer and Kevin Zraly who I took classes under in a program called Court Master of Sommeliers. I took classes within the infamous Windows of the World restaurant. They both had a great influence on me as they are both master sommeliers.

Tell us a little about your travel experiences as a sommelier. This can be local, regional or international.

I have had the luxury of living in Paris within the last three years. I have also visited Burgundy, Loire and Champagne. I also visited and am very fond of Italy, Chile, Argentina and Spain. I have had the discerning skills of noting the various hints and altitude differences in their productions. This is international, while regionally, I have spent a great deal of time in the north and south fork regions of New York State.

Why do you find your career as a sommelier so rewarding?

It is an incredibly rewarding pleasure to show my 20 + years of research and working as a sommelier. There is something very special and personal about creating a personal pairing of one's food palette to their wine selection. It is really quite intimate and serious. I have many returning clients who rely on me and it feels extremely rewarding.

What is one of your favorite meals and what wine would you select for it?

My favorite meal is a great filet mignon with a rich bordelaise sauce and pair it with a great Margot wine from Bordeaux.

Tell us a little about the restaurant or organization that you currently work with.

My latest venture is a fantastic Spanish tapas restaurant with a Mexican influence called Espoleta at 334 Bowery in New York City. I think that this will explode to become the next big tapas go to place in Noho. The interior, staff, sherry pairings and plates are truly unique and special.

Visit Espoleta at 334 Bowery, New York, NY 10012. For more information, call them at (212) 466-3300 or visit their web site at www.espoletanyc.com.

Photo: Courtesy of Ariel Lacayo .

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