Joan De Jesus

Clinton Hill, Brooklyn

We sat down with Joan De Jesus at Prima, a cafe/wine bar where Wine For Me Bk has hosted many of their bustling monthly parties. Wine For Me Bk is a natural wine club that pops up all around Brooklyn, focusing on community building, and always at a changing location to keep things interesting. The natural wine is always flowing — Joan’s selections are to die for — and ** drum roll ** the one year anniversary of WFM happens to be this weekend. Cheers ;)

Full name, age, where are you from?

Joan De Jesús, 32, Brooklyn NY 

Both of my parents immigrated from Latin America & the Caribbean to Brooklyn in the 80s and we’ve been in NY ever since (I’m a 90s baby tho )

What is your title and where do you work?

Brand strategist and founder of Wine For Me, a natural wine club with meetups once a month in NYC.

Was food a big part of your upbringing?

Yes! Food was a really important connection for my mom and aunts to their country and culture. It was made slowly and intuitively and never using a recipe or measuring cups. I’ve only recently begun to appreciate and practice that cooking style when I cook at home.

What are your earliest memories of dining out?

We rarely ate out but when we did it was a treat and typically wherever my mom was waiting tables at. One birthday it was ice cream sundaes and chicken tenders at Friendly’s – it’s such a precious core memory!

If you could give a piece of advice to someone who wanted to pursue your career, what would it be?

In the words of my good friend Errinn, there ain’t nothing you can’t do. 

What's your favorite wine at the moment? 

I got my hands on a Mantigny by Jean-François Debourg from my local natural wine shop and it's all I can think about. It's a Viognier and Chardonnay white wine out of Beaujolais and it feels like putting on a set of pearls. So fresh and elegant.

What is your favorite place to go out and eat at and what are you ordering?

Nate’s salt fish fritters at Prima <3

Anything new and exciting coming up for you? 

We’re celebrating Wine For Me’s one year anniversary on July 9th so look out for those party details at @wineformebk!