Kelsey Shaw
Bayberry Garden | Providence, RI
SEPTEMBER 2023
For Kelsey Shaw, it was working at Andy Nelson’s BBQ in Baltimore County, Maryland that sparked her interest in food. While attending Boston University, Shaw worked at Basho Japanese Brasserie, an izakaya-style restaurant, where she saw the ins-and-out of running an efficient, high-volume restaurant firsthand. After college, she went on to join the team at Island Creek Oyster Bar in Boston. With intensive staff meetings every day, it was there that Shaw connected with Rising Stars alum Tom Schlesinger-Guidelli, who began teaching her about the world of beverages, and encouraged Shaw to return to Boston University to expand her wine education. Looking for access to a wider variety of wines, she moved to New York, spending time at Montmartre and Pearl & Ash before joining the opening wine team at Rebelle, where she had access to the restaurant's impressive wine list and cellar.
Shaw then went on to manage Mattos Hospitality’s Altro Paradiso. When the pandemic hit, she decided to step away from service temporarily and instead spearheaded her own community project, In Good Taste. She enlisted chefs and entrepreneurs to curate bundles that were raffled off online, and donated all of the proceeds to non-profits that supported immigrants and communities of color. In 2021, she connected with the owners of the Bayberry Group and helped the team open Bayberry Garden as the general manager and beverage director. Embracing her first wine buying role, Shaw focuses on bridging the gap between low-intervention and more traditional wines for her guests, while also placing emphasis on style over region. Shaw strives to include more nonalcoholic beverage options on the Bayberry Garden list, providing more avenues for sober-curious guests to build camaraderie and enjoy themselves.
2023 StarChefs Coastal New England Rising Stars Award Winner
