About this episode
The Banter The Guys went to a firefighter cook off. It was fantastic! Listen for Mark’s advice on how to elevate any dish. The Conversation The Restaurant Guys welcome pillar of California wine country Bettina Sichel of Laurel Glen Vineyard. Bettina talks about the uniqueness of Laurel Glen and the amazing story of her family’s legacy from escaping Germany during the war to owning the best selling wine in the world! The Inside Track The Guys took their staff to visit Bettina at Laurel Glen a few years ago. It was great to hear about her work leading up to running Laurel Glen Vineyard. “Well, it did start small. so I went to work for Augustine Hues who was getting ready to launch his pet project, his very special project Quintessa. And, I was lucky enough to be on there to help him. I was the first director of sales and marketing and I helped to build the reputation and it was a great ride. It was really fun,” Bettina Sichel on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2025 Bio In 2011, Bettina Sichel, a veteran of the California wine industry, became the steward of Laurel Glen Vineyard after purchasing the iconic estate from founder Patrick Campbell in partnership with a small group of wine lovers. During her 30-plus-year career, she has worked with some of the finest producers of Cabernet Sauvignon. In 1998, Sichel helped launch Quintessa and went on to develop its reputation and profile distribution over the next decade as director of sales and marketing. The daughter of Peter M.F. Sichel, the man responsible for making his family’s Blue Nun a household name in America, Bettina is the fifth generation of the Sichel family to work in the wine business. Info Laurel Glen Vineyard https://laurelglen.com/ Peter Sichel (who passed away Feb 2025) https://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/peter-m-f-sichel-from-cia-to-blue-nun Peter Sichel’s memoir Enjoy over-decorated restaurants with Christmas cocktails through January 3, 2026 https://www.catherinelombardi.com/ Check out New Year's Eve in New Brunswick, NJ https://www.newbrunswicknewyearseve.com/ Become a Restaurant Guys' Regular! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2401692/subscribe Magyar Bank https://www.magbank.com/ Withum Accounting https://www.withum.com/restaurant Our Places Stage Left Steak https://www.stageleft.com/ Catherine Lombardi Restaurant https://www.catherinelombardi.com/ Stage Left Wineshop https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/ To hear more about food, wine and the finer things in life: https://www.instagram.com/restaurantguyspodcast/ https://www.facebook.com/restaurantguys Reach Out to The Guys! TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.com **Become a Restaurant Guys Regular and get two bonus episodes per month, bonus content and Regulars Only events.** Click Below! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2401692/subscribe