Experience
2005 - Present
Founder & President
Bouquet Ventures, Hospitality ConsultingNew York, NY
2004 - Present
Owner & Ambassador (Chief Bubble Officer)
La Caravelle Champagnes / WinesNew York, NY
1999 - 2001
Partner
Sono RestaurantNew York, NY
1988 - 2004
Marketing, Office Director
La Caravelle RestaurantNew York, NY
1980 - 1982
Assistant to the Secretary General
French Embassy Cultural ServicesNew York, NY
1977 - 1979
Executive Assistant to the President
TAG (Techniques d'Avant-Garde) FranceParis, France
1976 - 1977
Assistant to the President
Société D’Expansion CommercialeGeneva, Switzerland
Education
1975 - 1975
University Degree in Economics and Marketing
University Of GenevaGeneva, Switzerland
Advice from Rita Jammet
Quotes about career path, skills, and teamwork from an industry leader.
The best advice that I have received is life advice my father gave me:
every problem has a solution. Knowing this takes a lot of weight off your shoulders, when you’re dealing with something you need to solve, whether it comes early or late.
After graduating from college in Switzerland, I started working for my father who owned an international trade company.
I learned so much by ghosting him, he would require 100% accuracy on everything, he taught me rigor, work ethic – it definitely marked me a lot, he was my biggest mentor.
I studied Marketing and Economics.
My husband, Andre, is a hospitality professional whose family owned Le Bristol Hotel in Paris. I’m a people person and I highly value relationships so I was very happy to work in hospitality. When we closed our restaurant La Caravelle in 2004, I could not imagine myself not working in this industry so I found a way to stay in it by going into the wine industry.
Attitude and passion are the most important skills to possess, along with a willingness to learn.
You can teach someone technical skills but you can’t teach attitude.
To succeed in the wine industry, you definitely need to have an affinity for people, it's a highly relationship-based industry.
It’s also important to be detail-oriented, to possess digital skills, know how to navigate softwares and social media and lastly, be a kind person. When I hire people, I look for reliable individuals whom I can trust in order to delegate.
I find inspiration in many different places:
nature, art, colors. When I see something that catches my eye, I’ll stop everything to look at it. My family and my kids (Christophe, Nicolas and Patrick) are also a huge source of inspiration.
I read a lot to stay up to date with what’s happening:
The New York Times’ food and wine section, The Wine Spectator, Wine & Spirits Magazine, The World of Fine Wine, the major food magazines like Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, Saveur… Punch.com is a very-well done website and I love listening to Levi Dalton’s podcast “I’ll Drink to That! Talking with Levi Dalton”: you learn so many things listening to it that you get a totally different appreciation of a wine after hearing about it.
I consider myself in the school of life every minute of every day.
My first instinct is always to figure out what I can learn out of anything – not in a scholarly manner, but by thinking outside of the box, looking for principles and universal laws that could apply anywhere. I hang out a lot of sommeliers, winemakers. I love to pick their brains, tastings are very important to stay educated.
Roles in Wine & Beverage
Check out the newest job opportunities in your area and level up your career.
