Patti Gonsalves: Director of Service

Patti.163915If you’ve dined at Carpe Vino recently, you were likely greeted by our new Director of Service Patti Gonsalves, who is now responsible for all facets of dining room. . .or as we say in the biz, “Front of the House.” Patti comes to Carpe Vino with impeccable credentials and a vast knowledge of the restaurant industry. We’re delighted to have her on the management team, and she’s already made an impact.

In order to give you a proper introduction to Patti, she recently answered the 18 Questions we ask of our staff to create employee profiles. Please join us in welcoming her to the Friendly Confines.

1. Position and start date: Director of Service. February, 2017

2. Birthplace: Sacramento, CA. Family settled in Sac in early 1920’s.

3. Family: Are you married, engaged, children. . .? Happily married to Dick Gonsalves since 2003. I have two grown children that are married and living in the Roseville area. I have one “brilliant and beautiful” granddaughter.

4. How did you get started in the hospitality business; where else have your worked? Four decades of work in the food industry. First job with Baskin-Robbins Headquarters in Burbank training franchise owners. Continuing Experience: Hostess, Server, Supervisor, Corporate Trainer, Event Planner, Manager. Worked for many companies including Marie Callender’s, El Torito, Acapulco’s/Chi Chi’s, Romano’s Macaroni Grill, Il Fornaio, and most recently at The Farmhaus in Granite Bay.

5. College or formal hospitality training: Totally unrelated college degrees in Communicative Disorders/Speech Pathology from SDSU. Invaluable “hands on” experience in all aspects of restaurant service from fast food to fine dining over 40 years.

6. The part of your job you like best: The people. I love the interaction with the wide variety of people you meet; the guests as well as the staff.

7. If you ran this joint, what would you change? I haven’t been here long enough to know enough to be able to say. . .ask me again in a year.

8. The book on your nightstand is: The Whistler by John Grisham,

9. What do you do for fun? I am a big fan of Broadway and local theater. I also enjoy going to movies and gardening.

10. Are you involved in any sports? Only if you consider laying in the sun reading a book a sport.

10. What’s your passion? Travel! Foreign and Domestic! Where do I want to go? EVERYWHERE!

11. In five years, I’ll be. . .: Managing service at Carpe Vino and making every guest experience EXCEPTIONAL!

12. Favorite Carpe Vino dish: I could enjoy a bowl of Puree of Mushroom Soup every day and never grow tired of it. So simple yet so incredibly delicious!!!!

13. Favorite restaurant, other than Carpe Vino: Farmhaus

14. Favorite wine: It varies with the season. Most of the time I enjoy the whites: Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnays in particular. But there is nothing better than a big, bold, earthy Cabernet in front of a fire in the winter.

15. What would we be surprised to learn about you? While I have spent my entire adult years working in the food service industry and my favorite TV shows are cooking shows, I am a terrible cook! It is because of people like me that God made restaurants!

16. What do you like best about living in the Foothills? While I actually live in the great metropolis down the road, I enjoy the historical aspect and the way the local population connects and supports Auburn.

17. What one quality of yours do you think makes you most successful at your job? I love what I do and I have an “old school” work ethic to do the best I can all the time; going the extra mile whether it is expected or not. I am known for my attention to detail.

18. Who in the whole world inspires you most and why? My mom (rest her soul) is the person I always strive to be. She had the great skill of bringing out the best in people.