Interview 4

At present, Kyle Stubbs is a wine manager at the Bristol Wines & Spirits group of companies.

Originally, Kyle attended the then College of the Bahamas where he studied culinary arts. He then transferred to Halifax, Novia Scotia, to continue his studies in the hospitality field.

It was there that he was exposed to all of the intricacies that go into running hotels and restaurants and the art of fine dining. It is also where he was first introduced to the potential of embarking on a career as a sommelier.

A sommelier, or wine steward, is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional, normally working in fine restaurants, who specialises in all aspects of wine service as well as wine and food pairing.

Kyle explained that one of his supervisors at the hotel where he was doing his training suggested that he enter the field.

“He suggested that I explore the world of food and beverage management, and I was given an opportunity to take some additional training and work in management in one of the hotel’s restaurants,” he told Tribune Weekend.

He found the work intense, but also interesting.

In 2014, he moved from Halifax to the much larger Canadia city of Toronto, where he said, he found a new appreciation for wine and fine dining.

“I was in a big city where there was such an appreciation for fine dining and that was the first time that I really was able to rub shoulders with people in the industry who were making six-figure salaries based on their knowledge of wine and the fact that they were able to cater to affluent clients. That was when it really sparked my interest, that this was something I could do as a career and earn a living,” he said.

Kyle worked in Toronto until 2016 when his father got sick and he returned to the Bahamas to be closer to his family.

“My mother asked me to come home and so I did. I ended up working in Bimini at the Hilton at Resorts World Bimini, so I was at least in the country and closer to her in Nassau.”

It was while working in Bimini that opportunity struck again and pointed him in a future career direction.

“My father passed away in 2018 and so I was wanting to move back to Nassau to be with my mother. It was around that same time when a representative from Bristol had come to Bimini to speak about supplying us with product.”

That meeting eventually led to a job offer and Kyle was able to relocate to Nassau where a position awaited him.

“On paper, my position is a wine division manager/resident sommelier,” he noted.

However, Kyle also performs a myriad of other functions, such as hosting wine tasting events and educating the public about wines. He also helps in the training of the wait staff.

“What I love about wine is that it is a living organism,” he said. “You can open a bottle of wine today, taste it, then seal it back up and open it back up later and you will have a completely different taste, because of the way it will change.”

And he loves sharing his passion for wine with his fellow Bahamians.

“We have such a culture of libation in this country so that it is much easier because that appreciation is already there. My focus is to provide the education of the product to that appreciation,” he said.

He also likes to encourage people to step outside of their comfort zone and try new products.

“In the Bahamas, most women prefer a white wine, while men prefer a red.”

Therefore, he always encourages those who have tried a new wine to take a bottle to their next gathering, because word of mouth is one of the best ways that a person can increase their wine exposure.

He also encourages people to really focus on wine and food pairings for a dinner party, which will elevate the whole dining experience.

“If you are having a dinner party, you need to know your guests’ preferences Are they fixed on their preference or are they open to exposure? And then consider your menu. Red wines typically go with red meat, spicy foods tend to go with a white wine, as do lighter meats like chicken or fish,” he said.

His personal favorite is Pinot Noir, a lighter bodied red wine, which he says pairs well with a variety of foods such as seafood and poultry.

Social media, he added, is also helping elevate wine drinking in people’s minds.

“You are seeing such a food culture on social media and from many social influencers.”

Kyle would love to see the Bahamas increase its wine production.

“You are already seeing that the potential is there. For example, look at what Julian Believe is doing with wine. And when you think about it, wine is fermented fruit and so you can make wine from any Bahamian fruit, such sea grapes, or pineapples,” he said.

He added that many of our Caribbean neighbours are already tapping into the industry.

Once the right formula is achieved, Kyle said the big challenge remains of ensuring quality, quantity and consistency, which he thinks is possible.