Creating the Ultimate Wine list!

Our guest this week is Orla Murphy-LaScola, General Manager/Sommelier & Co-owner of American Seasons, one of the top dining destinations on Nantucket. Under Orla’s direction, the restaurant offers an award-wining all-American wine list, including 30 high-end, small production wines by the glass, which is complemented by an all-French champagne list. Among their many accolades are 15 consecutive Wine Spectator Awards of Excellence, Wine Enthusiast’s Award of Unique Distinction and Food & Wine’s Best of What’s Next. We will be talking with Orla about how she creates and sources such a unique and dynamic wine list, how she and her husband, Executive Chef & Co-Owner Michael LaScola develop their signature food and wine pairings and how they educate their staff and customers on such an extensive selection.

Originally from Dublin, Ireland, Orla Murphy-LaScola never intended to work in the restaurant business. She attended the Newman School of Journalism and, following graduation, moved to Nantucket where, while interning at a local newspaper, she took a job at American Seasons to pay her way. It was there she met her future husband, Michael LaScola, who was working in the restaurant’s kitchen during his summers at the CIA. She was given the role of assistant manager and realized that this was the profession she wanted to spend her life discovering. Orla returned to Ireland to pursue her masters in wine; attended culinary school to learn more about food; and for the following three off-seasons she worked for The Jameson Distillery as a consultant.In 1998 Murphy-LaScola was named General Manager. She and Michael were married in Ireland in 2002 and, in 2004, the LaScolas bought the restaurant from former owners Bruce Miller and Michael Getter.