Wine on Wheels Grand Tasting & Fundraiser at City Winery, Sept. 10, 2023

One of the great NYC fundraisers returns on September 10th: Wine on Wheels at City Winery. It’s an event founded by NYC based restauranteur and sommelier Yannick Benjamin, bringing together people to drink wine, socialize and raise funds to empower people with disabilities. For tickets and more, visit wineonwheels.org

Episode Transcript

(00:02):
Welcome to get Connected with Nina delRio, a weekly conversation about fitness,
health and happenings in our community onone oh six point seven Light FM.
Good morning, and thanks for listeningto get connected. Wine on Wheels is
back September tenth. One of thegreat New York City social events returns.
It brings together people to drink wine, to have a great time, and

(00:25):
raise funds to empower people with disabilities. Our guest is Wine on Wheels founder
and New York City based sammolier JannickBenjamin. Thank you for being on the
show. Good morning, and thankyou for having me. So nice to
see you again. The website isWine on Wheels dot org. And congratulations
Janick on bringing Wine on Wheels back. Well, thank you very much.
It's certainly been a long road.Our last one on Wheels was on twenty

(00:50):
nineteen, spring up twenty nineteen,so it's been quite a while and so
it took us some time to putall the parts together and we're just elated
to have it back on September tenthat the New City Winery. It's an
amazing event for people who have notbeen. You bring together some liers from
all over New York City's top restaurants, They pour wine, they answer questions

(01:11):
about wine. Can you kind oftalk about the day and what the reason
for this is. Yes, SoI think that most people should just think
of it as kind of a boozybrunch, you know, big party,
kind of a festival, right,So it's a it's a walk around tasting.
There will also be food, butwe're talking about one hundred and fifty

(01:32):
different wines from around the world.There will be about forty to fifty different
tables. Each table will be representedby a different restaurant or wine store right
here in New York City, andthey're going to be pouring wines that they're
really excited about that best represents whothey are as a business, as an
entity. And then you know,we have such a motley crew of different

(01:55):
people. It's really is a mosaicof different personalities from all different parts of
the world. So we have thedisability community that's out and about, that's
rolling around having a good time.We have the hospitality community that's coming to
this event full force in support sothey can see and they want to be
a part to support the disability communityand see them thrive. So it's a

(02:16):
really a lot of positive energy.It starts at eleven am, so instead
of drinking mimosas you know, you'redrinking really high quality wine. It's a
lovely event. I have been acouple of times, one on wheels,
I believe again in twenty twelve.Our first conversation was in twenty fifteen,
Yannick, and at the time,as I remember it, the focus seem

(02:37):
to be on supporting wheelchair users.You're a wheelchair user, You're a sammlier.
The idea was born out of yourexperience. But correct me if I'm
wrong. It feels like the nethas been cast wider with all sorts of
disabilities in mind. Hospitality for all, absolutely, and that's a great observation
I think. You know, listen, it's hard to believe that it's been
almost or well over ten years thatwe've been doing this kind of work,

(03:00):
and just like anything in life,things evolved, and certainly it's evolved to
the point where we're really, youknow, involved with the hospitality industry.
We really want to see more peoplewith disabilities involved. There are just too
many people that have a disability herein the United States. We're talking about
sixty one million Americans, and youknow, the unemployment rate is just it's

(03:22):
terrible, it's just so high.And meanwhile, right now there's a there's
a labor crisis in the hospitality industry, and so why don't we build a
bridge right there? You right,my gosh, you know, it's such
a great opportunity. And I knowso many people with disabilities that want to
be part of the hospitality industry.They don't know how to get their foot
or their will in the door,right. But so all we simply need

(03:45):
to do is have better communication andmake it happen. I would assume that
some of the expansion of the ideaof that people you're serving and the people
you're trying to bring into the industryhad something to do with the opening of
your restaurant, Content, which openedin twenty twenty one. It has an
ethos beyond food and I you know, you were obviously thinking about one community
and then that expanded. Perhaps thatis absolutely correct. So Contental Restaurant,

(04:13):
which is a restaurant that opened upon June twenty twenty one, located on
eighty eight East twenty eleven Street,was opened amongst other partners, but one
of the partners George Diego who wasalso still as a mentor and a dear
friend and a colleague and is alsoa paraplegic. He was the one that
discovered the space, and he wasalways on top of me about, well,
why don't you open up your ownrestaurant, why don't you do your

(04:36):
own place? And he was ableto find this place and we got together
and he wanted to be involved,but we knew that the most important thing
was that it had to be aplace where both him and I, who
are full time wheelchair users, wherewe could work in the place comfortably.
But it also really created an environmentwhere other people with disabilities would come in

(04:58):
and be treated with a certain amountof dig in respect where you don't find
that in other places. Because ofthis project and both Pierre one in Spirits
and Health Kitchen, but you alsoopened that it has responsible design accessibility for
everyone. I would assume I wouldhope you've had conversations with other restaurant owners
or shop owners about how to createbetter spaces. Yeah, it's quite amazing,

(05:20):
and you know, I think thisis really important to talk about.
I think that we want other peopleto do the same thing. Right,
We don't want to be the onlyones because if we're the only ones doing
it, that means that we're failing, and then what's what good is it?
Right? So I think it's it'swonderful when people reach out, whether
it's email, phone, call,text, whatever the case is, and

(05:40):
asking me questions, because that's theobjective at the end of the day,
is that other people are really inspiredand understanding how important it is for their
business. Listen, I think wehave to really understand that sixty one million
Americans that have a disability, thisis not something to be ignored, right,
And I'm always baffled that politicians whoare always looking for votes don't cater

(06:03):
to that demographics. It's just shockingto me because there's so many votes that
can be had, but people andthat demographics, that population, they don't
vote because they feel like they're notbeing heard or that people are talking to
them. And it's the same thingthat if you built a business where you
build that bridge and you're talking tothat specific population, they will come and

(06:25):
they will support. Let me askyou about that in a moment after we
remind everybody who we're speaking with.It's Wine on Wheels founder and New York
City based summo Yeah Yannick Benjamin Wineon Wheels returns to the New City Winery
on September tenth. It is elevenam to three pm. You can find
out more about the tickets about thesummer Yeah the Wine at Wine on Wheels
dot org. You're listening to getconnected on one oh six point seven light

(06:47):
FM. I'm Nina del Rio.You know, unfortunately New York City is
still allowing architecture and construction that isn'taccessible. You think of the Queen's Library,
the vessel for anyone who owns asmall business a public space. You've
been through this, What are thefirst sort of things you can do to
improve that aren't you know? People, steps might be a challenge, they're

(07:10):
necessary, but what are the firstthings you can do to improve? Well,
the one thing that everybody can dowhich is fully in their control,
and this you don't have to spenda penny on. This is practicing social
accessibility. Okay. And now withthe wonderful world of the Internet, and
I mean we have access to everything. Listen, do some research. Go

(07:31):
on social media. Identify people thatare advocates, that are that have a
disability, send them a message,ask them questions, but also simply that
you know, also invite people withinthat population to come into your business or
at least do some kind of training, whether it's zoom or in person to
your staff. Social accessibility is somethingthat we can all do. You can't

(07:55):
really teach someone how to slam dunkthat, you know, sometimes it takes
a natural talent that you know,you have to be born with that gift.
But you can teach everybody how tolike actually give one hundred percent right
and play some defense right. Andso that's something that can certainly be applied
to everybody. We all know that. And I make no illusions that if

(08:15):
you currently have a business and maybethere needs to be physical modifications and your
margins are quite small, it mightbe financially challenging, and I understand that.
But there are certain things that canbe really done that are certainly in
your control. And I think that'sthe first step. When you talk about
social accessibility, do you mean thingslike like audio for blind patriots. Yeah,

(08:37):
that's a great question, and thankyou for asking it. I'm talking
about simply things of like you know, let's say you do you have six
steps that are enormous. They're supersteep to get into your restaurant. And
you've talked an architect and they said, well, you know, building a
ramp and the incline might be toodangerous. Well, you can put a
little buzzer right by the bottom ofthe steps, right, you know,

(09:00):
they can buzz Someone can come down, a manager, talk to them,
explain to them as the situation.Maybe they can't come and eat the restaurant,
but maybe this gives them an opportunityto order a food to take out.
Doing something it's called reasonable accommodation.Someone that has a disability. They're
coming to your restaurant. Let's sayyour restaurants all the way down in Tribeca,
but the person that's coming to yourrestaurant lives in the South Bronx.

(09:20):
Now, imagine if you're on awheelchair already, you're dealing with the mass
transportation. Right, there's only onein four train stations that I have an
elevator, right, but you're evenlucky if it works. Right. So
then let's say this person's going outof their way having to deal with those
challenges, finally gets to your restaurant. They're late, not because of their
doing but because of having to dealwith a broken elevators and certain stations not

(09:45):
having elevators right, and so they'rea little overwhelmed. Well, you know,
the waiter, the manager, thebus boys, whoever, you know,
should pick up on those cues rightand really make them feel as comfortable.
Don't do the whole eye roll,the whole like, well we've got
to up, you know, ifyou got to order right away, we
need it anyway. That's what I'mtalking about social accessibility, right, even
just trying to understand. You know, if there's a person who's part of

(10:09):
the blind and low vision community,right, you know, don't grab them
right away, right, communicate withthem, Hey could I help you?
Is there any way possible that Ican guide you to the bathroom? And
usually that person will prompt you.I have to say, I think about
this stuff all the time in away because of you, and because I
have a couple of other people inmy family that have different disabilities, and

(10:31):
I wonder, you know, overthe years, you come from this community,
have so many friends in the hospitalitycommunity that have participated in this over
time, has that led to otherrestaurants, other people in your world to
kind of expand what they're doing tomake hospitality, you know, more accessible.
Absolutely. I mean, I meanpeople tell me all the time,

(10:54):
they're like, because of my relationshipwith some of these restaurantsurs, with the
samoliers, with just a restaurant industrycommunity as a whole. You know,
they do tell me all the time, you know, because of you,
I think about these little things thatI didn't think about. And you know,
that's great that it's starting to become, you know, a part of
their habit, it's becoming part oftheir repertoire. You know that they're they're

(11:16):
understanding that, oh, maybe maybewe shouldn't put the table angled this way.
Maybe you know, you should probablykeep these QR codes on the menus,
right, yeah, okay, fine, it's not our thing. It's
not aesthetically pleasing whatever it is,but that's not the point. Who cares.
It's not about the aesthetics, right, It's about making sure that it's
inclusive to everybody. So someone that'spart of the blind and low vision community,

(11:39):
all they have to do is scanthat QR code and they now have
access to the menu. They canthey can have it translated to them for
whatever technology did they have you know. So those are things that are happening,
and I see it more and more, which is a really great and
wonderful thing. So let's get backto Wine on Wheels, which is on
September tenth. Who do the fundsbenefit, Well, my colleague mentor friend,

(12:03):
George Gayego, who's also involved withContental Restaurant. He's opening up a
wellness and physical fitness center on oneeighteen Trade and Third Avenue. It's called
the Access Project, and it's absolutelyamazing. I mean, I've been there
many times. The equipment there isa state of the art, it's a
it's an amazing thing that he's doing, and he's so passionate and he's I

(12:24):
mean really he's really one of thebright lights in our community. And so
this is going to soon to openOne on Wheels raising money raising awareness for
my dear friend George Gayego and theAccess Project. So other people with disabilities
have a place to go to togo work out, to keep themselves fit,
but most importantly to be there withtheir peers, right, I mean,

(12:46):
I think that's really important. There'snot an actual place where other people
with disabilities gather together during the sameroom they can kind of talk to each
other, learn from each other,and go, oh, Okay, I
thought I was the only one who'sfeeling this way. Okay, you're you're
also feeling that way. Oh,this is how you get to work.
Oh I didn't know that train stationwas accessible. So things of that nature

(13:07):
are really important, and so I'mreally excited. I'm such a believer in
this project. Prior to the pandemic, One on Wheels had expanded to other
cities. You did Chicago, inPortland. Are you going to try and
push it back out again now thateverything's sort of getting reorganized? You know,
that's a great question. I wantto get. I want to get
to September tenth first, right,you know, it was really amazing.

(13:30):
It was such a you know,things were really rolling so well up until
the pandemic, and we had actuallyour last official One on Wheels was on
January twenty seventh. I believe itwas a Sunday as well, and it
was in Chicago and it was areally glorious day. But that was when
we're like, oh, a lot'shappening, you know, and you started

(13:52):
to hear, you know, allthis crazy stuff about the pandemic happening in
other countries. You know, listenputting. It's it's amazing the amount of
work that is behind putting, justputting an event that only goes for four
hours, and so we'll see howthis one goes. I would imagine if
there was a city that we woulddo it in again, is DC.
You know, you need a lotof support, you need a lot of

(14:13):
boots on the ground to make thesethings happen. So but I could see
something like Washington, DC, likebaby steps kind of rebuilding again this event.
You said it's four hours. Justby the numbers, can you talk
about how many wines are there?The restaurants representative really quick? Yeah,
yeah, for sure. Absolutely.We're gonna have officially forty to forty five

(14:35):
restaurants and wine stores, each havingtheir own tables, regional tables, so
we'll have word older as well representingthe region of word, representing their place
and their wines, which will bereally exciting. We will have about thirty
different auction lots, so incredible winesthat you can get way below the market
price. So this is a goodopportunity because you know, I'm making no

(14:58):
illusion, wines can be quite expensiveto going back to the grant tasting.
You're gonna have some of the youknow, the really the best samoa wine
professionals behind those tables, pouring winesthat they're super excited about, that they're
passionate about. So you're going tolearn a heck of a lot. The
energy, the ibrancy of the placeis just going to be out of this

(15:18):
world. You know, we're gonnawe're talking about three hundred and fifty people
in and out of the room throughoutthe day. And then we're gonna have
a couple of tables that are goingto feature food, five different restaurants serving
some canopast as well, and thenwe have like a bunch of cheeses from
all over the world and some curedmeats, so there's a little bit of
everything. We have also a nonalcoholic table as well, a beer table.

(15:41):
I know. Oh and we havetwo of New York City's most incredible
mixologists, so making some great cocksailsfour hours. It's a lot of choices.
A bit of a personal question beforewe wrap up. You have a
lot on your plate, Yannick.You have your advocacy, you have your
businesses. How do you prioritize whatkind of comes first for you. Yeah,
I think the most important thing isuh and I think I try to

(16:03):
keep myself on a really strict routine. Of course it doesn't always go that
way, but you know, listen, I have a couple of mantras,
and they're very simple. Stop complaining, you know, don't talk about yourself,
say less than is necessary, right, except things the way they are.
You know, just doing those thingsare really helpful. I you know,
I have a checklist that I highlight, you know, make sure that

(16:26):
I get them done. Some thingsI don't get done as well. But
I just try to really develop thatand that's really kind of worked on my
beat. But there's no doubt aboutit that. Um I have this conversation
every single day with my wife andI'm like, I need to do less,
you know, I want to havea whole day off and not think
about anything, you know, justwatch really bad TV and instead on the

(16:49):
couch and have ice cream and allthat stuff. And I think that day
will come. But and I knowthat I needed there's no doubt about that.
I mean, this is not it'snot a sustainable MOP model, but
but you know, I never tooexhausted because I'm doing things that I really
love. Well. I hope youget a day off after Wine on Wheels.
Yeah, I haven't circled. Ihave said that's great. Wine on
Wheels tickets are still available at CityWinery from eleven am to three pm on

(17:14):
Sunday, September tenth. Jonnick Benjaminhas been our guests. You can find
out more at Wine on Wheels dotorg. Thanks for being here, Thank
you for having me. This hasbeen get connected with Nina del Rio on
one oh six point seven Lightfm.The views and opinions of our guests do
not necessarily reflect the views of thestation. If you missed any part of
our show or want to share it, visit our website for downloads and podcasts

(17:37):
at one oh six seven lightfm dotcom. Thanks for listening.