A journey from server to sommelier

Katie Rice & Sarah Pierre

Editor’s Note: Katie Rice is at the helm of this month’s Women + Wine, which begins its third year in these pages.

It’s the third year of the Women & Wine column and every month I consider interviewing the person who keeps my head above water at VinoTeca – Janeen Jason. She is the Batman to my Robin, the jam to my jelly, the pinot noir to my chardonnay. Since this is Women’s History Month, I want to salute not only one of the best women in my life but a force in the Atlanta wine scene.

Janeen was born in New York and raised in Henry County, Georgia. After graduating from high, she attended Georgia State University with dreams of entering the world of music through management and public relations. She started her career in hospitality while studying at GSU by becoming a server at Ted’s Montana Grill, where she worked for five years. Like many of us who have entered the hospitality world, it is hard to find your way out.

The coolness of bartending and having a proximity to making and creating cocktails took Janeen to TWO Urban Licks after graduation in 2008. According to Janeen: “TWO made me realize I didn’t know as much about food and wine as I thought I did. I was good at working in high volume and knew the service steps, but nothing about wine or food. Coming from a wine list where the most exciting thing was a