Brian Banmiller's blog

The generation of millennials is looking for work; and they're taking business casual to a whole new level.

According to USA Today, millions of young people between 18 and 34 are searching for that perfect job. The problem is their dependence on anything electronic has dampened their social skills.

So when it comes time for the dreaded face to face job interview, most people are dropping the ball.

Hiring managers said they have seen college graduates text or take phone calls during interviews. People have brought their parents and pets with them.

They report the younger generation using slang or casual language and dressing poorly.  read more »

Your lost property is one man's fulltime job.

For Eliel Santos, his office is the stretch of subway grates from 23rd Street to 47th Street in New York City.

His office equipment is dental floss, mousetrap glue and a sharp eye. Recently, the New York Post followed him on his 9 to 5.

Each day he searches subway grates for items people mights have dropped, such as money, jewelry, and more often than not an iphone. At days end he takes his haul to the pawn shop.

His biggest paycheck came from a diamond and gold bracelet he sold for $1800. But he's not just in business for himself.

Santos also provides a pro bono service helping people find their lost items. Once he pulled a man's keys out of the subway grate and another time a man's wedding ring.  read more »

One Hollywood actress is trying out a new role, as businesswoman.

Drew Barrymore is a familiar face on the big screen. Now she's bringing her star power to another industry; wine. I recently sat down with Drew at the Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival to discuss "Barrymore;" her personal Pinot Grigio white wine.

She says it's more than just a label with a celebrity name.

"I have a hand in everything I do; I don't do it well otherwise. So for better or for worse if you don't like things about the wine, I'm somewhat to blame for it."

To produce her wine, Barrymore teamed up with the Decordi family. People she says understand what goes into a successful product.  read more »

Facebook is expanding right to your favorite watering hole.

Budweiser Brazil is announcing a Facebook enabled glass called the Buddy Cup. When two people tap glasses, they instantly become Facebook friends . . . thanks to computer chips in the cups.

According to a promotional video, the cup is only being tested in Brazil, but it seems more test cities are in the works.

The video tells people to stay tuned for the Buddy Cup debut at future Budweiser events. So what's the point of the Facebook Budweiser friendship?

According to the reports, Budweiser is hoping the social media giant will boost consumer interaction at its brand sponsored events. In other words, it's hoping Facebook will increase Bud's revenue.  read more »

Media is changing and it's all about choice.

Mark Stanich is President of Digital Media for American Express Publishing in New York; a company with banner magazines such as Food and Wine and Travel and Leisure.

He says people can get information wherever and whenever they want. To keep consumers interested, Stanich says there is a fine balance between providing quality content and pleasing changing consumer taste.

"Content is king and audiences are queen. I think the audiences are really important, you have to put them both together because if you create great content but you haven't figured out who it is that you're trying to satisfy, it can wither and die."

Stanich says if you have a great audience but do not deliver what they want, you will lose them.  read more »

Can’t decide on a wine; turn to your master sommelier.

Not everyone in the industry makes and distributes wine. There are also those that know the right grape and the right flavor to best compliment your meal. Sabato Sagaria is one such person. He is the master sommelier at the Little Nell in Aspen; one of the toughest tables to land in Colorado. He says the process to achieve the position that few people hold included tests on fermentation and wine regions, dealing with difficult tables and of course…

“It takes a lot of drinking.”

Sagaria says his restaurant offers wine that ranges from $25 a bottle to $20,000. But when the recession hit he says people were drinking from the cheaper end of the menu.  read more »

Sometimes the food and wine industry isn’t just about taste.

Mark Stanich is the Chief Marketing Officer and President of Digital Media at American Express Publishing. At a recent food and wine festival I talked to him about changes in the industry; an important topic to the company which publishes Food and Wine magazine. Stanich says over the past few years people began focusing more on the food and less on the wine; but now that’s changing and the industry is realizing they go hand in hand.

“A great meal being not just the food a great meal is really the experience and part of that experience is what you’re drinking with the food.”  read more »

Business has no boundaries; especially when it tastes good.

Actress Drew Barrymore has conquered the movie industry with a slew of hits beginning with ET when she was just six years old. Now at 38 she is taking her talent from the silver screen to the vineyard.

“I love wine and I have really romantic experiences and a lot of journeys with it, my friends and i have enjoyed it over many a dinner party.”

I recently spoke to the A-list actress about her new Pinot Grigio that she labeled with the Barrymore name. She says she has a hand in everything she puts her name on and doesn’t want people to assume this is another celebrity sponsored product.  read more »

One great thing deserves another.

“Wine, bread and cheese those are the first three fast foods in the world.”

Kent Torrey is president of the cheese shop in Carmel. They have been in business for 38 years selling and distributing cheese all over the world. Torrey says more people are starting to embrace cheese both in their cooking and as the perfect partner to a fine bottle of wine.

“My motto is eat cheese, drink wine, live life happy.”

Torrey says ten years ago brie was their best seller but now people are starting to expand their taste buds. Torrey says just like when the California wine boom began and U.S. vineyards began giving the world a run for their money; cheese is now doing the same.  read more »

It’s the battle of the bottle top; cork versus screw-on.

At the recent food and wine festival held in Pebble Beach California everyone had an opinion over the best way to top a wine bottle. David Grieve’s family has been in business since 2006; and he says nothing but cork touches their final product.

“Cork is the only thing that’s real I think, you look at screw tops and you say they’re a man-made thing and the cork for us is a renewable thing.”

Jaan Charles Boisset owns more than 20 wineries in both France and the U.S. and is one of the largest wine distributors in the world. He says more people need to get on board with the screw top.  read more »