THE SAUCE
She Knows Her Wine MEET REBECCA ROSE PHILLIPS, A SOMMELIER WHO OWNS TWO WINE-CENTRIC ESTABLISHMENTS IN THE VALLEY. Written by Heather Platt
“Life is too short not to have fun, and wine should be no exception,” says restaurateur and sommelier Rebecca Rose Phillips, referring to the ethos of her two San Fernando Valley establishments. Rebecca, who grew up in Wisconsin, opened Vintage Wine + Eats in Studio City in 2018 and the intimate wine and cocktail bar Buvette in Sherman Oaks a year later. “I have been working in restaurants for 20 years. My first restaurant job, I was 14. I was a cake cutter at this 24-hour diner. And I really did every job since then: hostess, cashier until I worked my way up to server, and then I served all through college.” She moved to Los Angeles 13 years ago to pursue a career in acting. Rebecca says pivoting into the restaurant business was something that happened gradually. “When I moved to LA, I was acting and doing that kind of thing that everybody does in LA, and I was waiting tables the whole time.” Eventually she was promoted to management positioins and landed a gig at Los Feliz favorite Little Dom’s, where she took over the wine list and subsequently gained a sommelier education.
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