Home > Amber Bewick, UNISG alumna, Creative Coordinator at a Californian Winery

Where does your passion for gastronomy come from and what brought you to enroll at UNISG for the Undergraduate Degree in Gastronomic Sciences and Cultures?
My passion for food started in my teen years when I found out about factory farms and industrial meat production. I delved into what it meant to produce in mass quantities and what that meant for the planet, our health and the welfare of animals. At the same time, I became really interested in cooking and holistic nutrition and decided to start a blog where I’d post about food recipes, talking about the importance of food sourcing, eco lifestyle choices and ethics of food (the website is still visible although I haven’t posted in a while, ha!) I became – and still am – very passionate about animal rights and welfare and therefore supporting a plant based / plant forward type of diet… I’m a huge legume advocate! 😉

After high school I decided to enroll in environmental engineering and did that for almost two years until I decided that wasn’t the right journey for me – the lunches I’d bring to uni would consist of things like antique grain varieties and unusual ingredients I’d get from farmers market (other classmates thought I was so weird!)- out of the 500 students in my year focusing on “environmental” studies, no one seemed slightly interested in ecology – it didn’t feel right and wished to be studying with people with somewhat similar passions.

Straight after that, I went to a plant based Culinary school in Thailand for a couple of months which was incredible, and right about then I found out about UNISG. I had heard of the Slow Food movement but never really looked into it. Once I did, it all made so much sense and was hooked by the first read. I visited the school for an open day and immediately decided to enroll. The study trips were a very attractive part of the program, and also being surrounded and exposed to different cultures. I grew up in Italy but have american/english parents and enjoy being around international people.  UNISG was such an incredible experience, I can’t recommend it enough.

Can you sum up your path after Pollenzo and what values did you carry with you that enriched you during your time as a student?
Already during my years in Pollenzo, I had had experiences working on farms or restaurants during the summer breaks and beyond (Chez Panisse by Alice Waters being one of them). I created connections and also was trying to figure out what part of the food world I’d want to work in – the industry is so broad that you really need to figure that out on your own in my opinion.

I did a quick internship in London at Mercato Metropolitano that was coordinated through the Unisg Career office. After that I decided to move to Los Angeles as I was offered to help a friend  starting a garden/work wear brand (Flora Animalia). I was supposed to be in charge of cooking and gardening classes, although covid had just hit so my work focused on creative/design projects for the brand, such as pattern design and natural dyes for the garments, but also maintaining the edible garden of the space and writing posts about recipes, preserving food etc.

The following year I found out about The Ecology Center one hour south of LA – it’s a 28 acre certified regenerative organic farm which has a huge CSA program, an on-site specialty farmstand and it is also a non profit that organises tons of workshops and events for the community. I started volunteering and shortly after got hired in the culinary department. I was there for almost 2 years and was in charge of all the culinary aspects and events we did on the farm (pizzas, dinners, preserves for the farmstand, private events etc) and also worked on design/packaging projects. It was an incredible experience and felt a bit like a Pollenzo in California.

I recently moved to the Bay area to the wine county, and started a new job helping the creative/marketing team at a winery here called Scribe. I wanted to move to the Bay area and learn more about wines – I’m really into natural wines but hadn’t worked in the industry yet. This area is a total foodie hub and it feels good to be inspired and also be learning a part of business that I hadn’t been exposed to enough in my previous jobs.

What are the main issues that you face working in a Winery as a Creative director and what would you suggest to someone who wants to start a similar career?
I’ve always had an interest in graphic design, illustration, and food/wine packaging. My parents are both creatives and I think being surrounded by that growing up helped develop my passion for that a lot. The winery were I work does tons of events and dinners and has tons of guest coming in every day, it has a really beautiful vegetable and flower garden and is focused on regenerative practices. My work deals with how the winery presents aesthetically to the guests – from tableware items to the plants on the property for example – but also a lot of collateral work for the website and social media, I help design the menus and do the florals too.

Scribe has a big food program (the chef Kelly also studied at UNISG) and is very connected to the land it farms on. Although I am not working directly with the wine production, I feel somewhat connected to that world and I am learning a lot along the way. I also feel more inspired to share my food values and Slow Food practices with people that work here that maybe haven’t had the opportunity to learn about it. Whatever job you end up working in, you can always spread the Slow Food mentality and principles – that is the activist mind that I hold on to.

Since you lived in Bra for a while, what are the peculiarities of the wine producers there and in California? 
Both the Langhe and Sonoma county share a very beautiful landscape and similar mountain/hill like terrain. Also there’s a very similar climate, a big change in temperature between day and night which is really good for grape growing. To me, the Langhe (being in Europe) feels more authentic as the culture and people go way back, unlike the US which is a much newer Country. For a young farmer/wine producer it feels easier to start here as there’s a lot of money in the area and starting a business has always felt like an easier task here versus in Europe (bureaucracy is less tedious). But one has to account the style and quality of life they want too, which is higher in Europe in my opinion… Americans are workaholics!

Regarding wines itself, there are some amazing producers here in California and many are trying to support a more organic way of growing. The US allows a lot more additives/chemicals to be added to wines than in Europe. But there’s a strong movement of producers trying to do the right thing and of course natural wines are really trendy and low intervention wines keep becoming more popular.