Provenance and Pleasure: Engineering Intimacy - San Francisco Bay Times

"What Nora does is create those experiences. It's the difference between a transaction and an adventure that writes your sense of what a place can be. She has built programs that make a room feel like it knows you. Once a restaurant has that quality, guests don't just return ... they bond. They sit at the bar alone; they bring dates; they bring friends. It becomes woven into their life."

"A cocktail program, in her hands, is less a list of drinks and more of an aura for the atmosphere to get appetites wet. With partners Christopher Longoria and Stephanie Gonnet, she heads up the consulting firm West Bev. Their combined experience spans across all types of bar establishments, from nightclubs to Michelin-starred restaurants."

"She occupies this incredible intersection of hedonism and expertise that few other professions can claim. She understands chemistry, agriculture, business operations, cultural trends, and human psychology. Then she distills them onto a menu that works for a specific room, a specific crowd, a specific movement."

Nora is an award-winning bartender and beverage consultant at Buddy in San Francisco, recognized by Imbibe and Forbes. She approaches bar programs through provenance, terroir, and process, creating experiences that transcend typical drink menus. Her consulting firm, West Bev, works across diverse establishments from nightclubs to Michelin-starred restaurants. Nora combines expertise in chemistry, agriculture, business operations, cultural trends, and human psychology to design cocktail programs tailored to specific venues and audiences. Her work transforms bars into spaces where guests feel known, fostering deep loyalty and integration into customers' lives. She functions as a professional enthusiast, connecting beverage experiences to cultural movements while maintaining rigorous quality standards.

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