Drinking Alone, Together: Haley Guild Moore - Wine & Spirits Magazine

Drinking Alone, Together: Haley Guild Moore

of SF’s Stock and Bones Group


“Drinking Alone, Together” is our series asking somms to chime in on how they’re staying busy, safe and sane during the COVID-19 Restaurant Closures. Here is Haley Guild Moore of SF’s Stock and Bones Group:

I spent last weekend watching some of the greatest restaurants in the world choose to cease operations. The truth was inevitable, but it didn’t make the reality any less painful. Yesterday was an incredibly tough day. In a matter of minutes it became clear that we would have to shut down all of our restaurant operations until this subsides. My heart breaks for our industry. For the countless business owners who show up everyday and have spent their lives building what we all call ‘home,’ for the hourly employees that depend upon us to feed their families and especially for those without access to unemployment benefits. Our industry is filled with the most hard working, loving and kind people on the planet. I know we will get through this.

As of January 1, 2020, I launched my own company (Acquire) to focus on creating and maintaining beverage programs for restaurants. Yesterday I lost all of my clients. Turns out, growing a business during a global pandemic is tough. Thankfully, we are all in this together and we will get through it together. I am lucky that I have a retail portion to my business, so I am pivoting this morning to focus on private clients and even going as far as offering ‘doorstep’ deliveries in our neighborhood. I feel so fortunate to have that option.

Thankfully, our home cellar is stocked. We are burning through about 2 bottles a day so far, but at that rate, we could stay locked in here for 2 years. I am so very grateful for that! We have had fresh fish the last two nights knowing that we may not venture out for that luxury in the near future. Last night, I prepared a soy-ginger-and-miso-marinated black cod and served it with bamboo rice cooked in coconut and ginger dashi. We had a bottle of Patrick Piuze Chablis, Terroir de Chichée 2008, which was a perfect pairing. We followed it with a 2010 Ramonet Aligoté, which was showing the slightest hint of nutty oxidation. The palate was round and textured with hints of white mushroom. It is easy to find joy in the simple pleasures. Hopefully we can all use this time to soak up our families and focus our goals. I know when we are back online, we will be stronger than ever.

Sending you health and happiness!

Haley Guild Moore


This is a W&S web exclusive. Get access to all of our feature stories by signing up today.