As I was driving to my appointment with DiMaggio Washington, owner of The Cellar Wine Bar and Restaurant, I was reminiscing about when we first started going there, a little over two years ago, back when it was All Corked Up. We initially took advantage of All Corked Up’s wine locker rentals, and soon found ourselves hanging out in the restaurant and wine bar in the front of the house. We’ve made some great friends there and it didn’t take long for the place to become our “Cheers!”, for those of you who remember the show.

DiMaggio took over the wine bar and restaurant August 1st, with All Corked Up retaining ownership of the locker rentals and retail wine warehouse. Now in its 3rd month of operation as The Cellar, I thought it was time to catch up with DiMaggio and see how things are going.

I was glad to hear that things are going great! The customer base has remained intact, and expanded as new patrons discover what The Cellar has to offer. The loyalty rewards program is in place and is free to All Corked Up’s locker renters and club members, who also enjoy reduced corkage charges at The Cellar.

Friday and Saturday nights continue to be the big draw, with popular familiar performers along with new bands hitting the scene. The 3rd Sunday of every month, The Cellar hosts The Ann the Raven Blues Jam. Ann is the blues DJ for radio station 88.5 KCSN. The first blues jam was in July for Ann’s birthday celebration, and due to popular demand it is now a monthly event. Sunday will soon become even more popular, as the 2nd Sunday of every month will soon be devoted to smooth jazz, starting in November with the band Flavia.

Chef Liz Tredway Pack has been cooking up a storm, and the menu has some great new additions to it, along with old favorites. The Cellar now takes dinner reservations, and patrons are encouraged to take advantage of this new service, as tables fill up quickly.

DiMaggio’s wine classes continue to be popular, and future plans include remodeling of the patio, expansion of the kitchen and winemaker dinners!

DiMaggio told me that is he very gratified that the community has openly responded to his ownership of The Cellar and welcomes everybody’s feedback. I asked him what makes an ideal customer of The Cellar. I am an accountant in my day job, so I was expecting an answer relative to how much a customer might be spending. Instead, DiMaggio’s used an example of a customer who told him she looks at The Cellar as her second home. That level of comfort is what DiMaggio is looking to provide to all his patrons. “Cheers!” indeed.

The Cellar Wine Bar & Restaurant
www.thecellarwbr.com
661-799-7979

Michael Perlis provides outsourced controller services to businesses that do not need a full-time controller. He balances this with his interest in wine: reading and writing about it and, of course, drinking it. He is still trying to figure out how to combine these two pursuits. Feel free to contact him about either at mcpfinancial@aol.com or michaelthezinfan@aol.com.