Liz Formica lives and breathes hospitality. An arguable passion that many share, Liz fell in love with the industry in her college days at the University of Illinois Chicago. By day a student, by night a server, then bartender, then floor manager—she made her way through the ranks to appreciate each and every role in the restaurant industry in places such as Le Colonial, Untitled, and Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse. Per her philosophy, “Restaurants are a dance—a reflection of everyone coming together to perform a work of art that will be uniquely different each time”.

After graduation, she earned her Master’s in Linguistics and Education, then traveled abroad to teach in several countries like Spain and Turkey.

Despite years outside of restaurants, the calling never left, and she found herself back in the thicket of cocktails, dinner plates, and chaos. From Chicago to LA, Liz found a deeper appreciation for beverage programs and opened Venice Restaurant Group’s second location on the boardwalk, built the wine list and front of house operations. From there, she became general manager of farm-to-table concept Pico Los Alamos and oversaw an award-winning wine list, built a scratch cocktail program, and daily operations.

Honing in on the love for food and wine, Liz is a certified sommelier with WSET 3 certification. She now sells wine for one of her favorite portfolios and consults with AOH Hospitality to build beverage programs, wine clubs, and front of house operations, most recently Shokrian Vineyards, Gracias Madre West Hollywood, and Parque 1055.

Outside of work, she enjoys drinking California wines, grower Champagne (of course!), playing with dogs, and eating anything her chef husband makes—preferably paired with campfires, stars, and pajamas.