Jeremy Lamb is the general manager and wine director for bluestem Restaurant and Wine Lounge on Westport Road in Kansas City. This is the same street where he began his food and beverage career a number of years ago. Starting as a bartender at a local favorite bar, the Kansas City native later moved to Plaza area restaurants in the city where he began to formulate his philosophy of pairing wine with food. He gained additional knowledge when he spent several years honing his skills in well known New Orleans restaurants. But when he returned to Kansas City, it was at Lidia’s Restaurant where his culinary education moved to an advanced level. Not only did the restaurant provide an extensive food and wine training course, but Jeremy won awards for his aptitude for customer service and sales two years in a row which allowed him to make two trips to Italy where he immersed himself in the study of food and wine. These inspiring experiences became the core foundation for his approach to combining wines with food.

Jeremy has applied his hospitality experience and wine knowledge at restaurants around the country where he has been the general manager and wine director. Lamb’s philosophy on food and wine pairings consists of three different approaches, which may seem to contradict. There are times when he will look to the origins of the cuisine to make a wine match. For example, if the food has Italian accents, he selects Italian wines. The second approach, a more traditional one, is to let the flavors of the dish itself dictate the wine that should accompany it. And finally, he sometimes says to forget the rules and just savor the wines you like. At bluestem Restaurant, he makes an effort to determine the personal preferences of each customer and then select wine to accompany and highlight their meal. Jeremy also oversees catering at bluestem and customers will tell you that he pays great attention to details and ensures that events are both unique and memorable.