Tastemaker Series: Kenny Toll, The Actor-Turned-Sommelier Who Made a Hard Left Turn
Playlist WineTL;DR
Meet Kenny Toll, lead sommelier at Place des Fêtes, who took a hard left turn from acting to wine. For S02E07, he curated 12 wines that punch above their weight - eclectic, rooted in personal history, and always delicious.
From Stage to Spanish Wine
Kenny Toll's life is a series of unexpected pivots.
He started as an actor in San Francisco's theater scene. Bought a one-way ticket to NYC for what was supposed to be a weekend trip. Six years later, he's still there. Then the pandemic hit. Then a random illness affected his vocal cord for over a year, making it impossible to project his voice on stage.
So he doubled down on wine.
Now he's the lead sommelier at Place des Fêtes, one of NYC's hottest wine bars. Which, despite its French name, serves predominantly Spanish wines. Because why not add another plot twist?
For Playlist's S02E07, Kenny curated wines that reflect his journey: value bottles that punch way above their weight class. Eclectic. Rooted in personal history. Always delicious.
If his sommelier story were a film, he'd call it "Hard Left Turn." And the star would be an affordable old vine Garnacha from the Sierra de Gredos mountains. Intense, linear, earthy, and completely unexpected.
Q&A with Kenny Toll
Matt Friesen (Playlist): Kenny, as the lead sommelier at Place des Fêtes, one of the hottest wine bars in NYC, how do you keep the wine list fresh and exciting for your guests?
Kenny Toll: Our team consists of three people: Piper Christensen, the Beverage Director and one of the company's partners, Ali, another sommelier, and myself. Piper is often busy opening new restaurants, but the three of us constantly bring any wines we've tasted and are excited about to the table. We frequently open and taste new bottles, ensuring we never get locked into a fixed wine list.
When we first opened, our list featured a lot of French wines while we were expanding our Spanish section. Over time, we fell in love with more Spanish wines, leading us to focus exclusively on Spanish, Chilean, Portuguese, and some North American hybrid wines.
Now, our list has grown significantly with great allocations, so we include whatever we like. When we run out of a wine, it's off the list until the next year, and we start looking for new options.
By keeping our finger on the pulse, it all comes together naturally, which is what excites me.
MF: You mentioned that the restaurant started with French wines but are now predominantly offering Spanish wines. With a name like Place des Fêtes, which sounds like a French bistro or wine bar, I'm curious about the decision behind this shift.
KT: There's a story behind it. Oxalis was the first restaurant under this group, and I worked there for three years, starting about four months after it opened. Oxalis features a French tasting menu with an incredible wine list that focuses on French natural wines for pairings.
When COVID hit, indoor dining was no longer an option. The owners struck a deal to access an enclosed outdoor parking lot. We cleaned and prepared the space, even during the lockdown, and opened a back-alley wine bar called Place des Fêtes. The name comes from the square in France where the owners originally conceived the idea for Oxalis. We operated there for a year and a half before deciding to open a permanent wine bar, keeping the name Place des Fêtes.
When we opened the brick-and-mortar location, Piper suggested avoiding overlap in our wine selections. We decided to keep French wines at Oxalis and focus on Spanish natural wines at Place des Fêtes, especially since the food here is seafood-heavy and follows the Mediterranean coast. I always share this story with our guests, and I tell them not to overthink it. Place des Fêtes is the party place, and its name reflects its history rather than the wine list.
MF: As both a sommelier and an actor, how do these two passions influence each other?
KT: Surprisingly well, actually. There's a cliché about actors in the restaurant industry for a reason. Most actors are only employed for short periods, unless they're on a successful TV show or a long-running Broadway production. In between gigs, they need to make money, and restaurants, which operate mostly at night, fit that schedule perfectly.
Actors learn early on that they must be confident on stage and during auditions. This confidence translates well to the restaurant industry. As a server or in specialized positions, being confident, storytelling, and entertaining are key skills. At the end of the day, what we're doing is offering guests a night of entertainment through food, wine, and service.
Working in wine is very similar. I have to bring my best every night. It's challenging, but it's the job.
MF: If your journey as a sommelier were a film, what would be the title, and what kind of wine would be the star of the story?
KT: The title would be "Hard Left Turn" because I often say I got into this industry sideways. A series of events in my life led me down this path. Initially, being an actor was always my plan. Then the pandemic hit and changed everything. It felt like a reset for many of us. Any momentum I had gained in my career seemed to disappear as the world changed.
In addition to that, I had a unique experience with my voice over the past year. A random illness, not COVID, affected one of my vocal cords, making it difficult for me to speak for a long time. For over a year, I couldn't project my voice enough to be on stage. It was a freak incident, not dangerous and not painful, but it changed my trajectory. As challenging and strange as it was, it allowed me to focus entirely on my work and the people I collaborate with.
Regarding wine, I think it would be "value wine that punches up." I recently attended a seminar about an incredible old vine Garnacha from Castilla y León in the Sierra de Gredos mountains. It's grown on granite, which gives it intensity and linear earthiness, yet it's affordable. There are both light and heavy-aged expressions of it, but that's the kind of wine I want to drink. That would be the wine for my movie.
MF: We all have those unexpected favorite moments. Can you share an experience where a wine surprised you with its complexity or story?
KT: Yeah, actually, I had a fun moment recently. We received a case of wine from the winemaker Alberto Domingo, located in northern Catalonia. When I first opened it, it was reductive with strong barnyard notes. It would have been enjoyable for wine enthusiasts, but it wasn't ready yet, so I decided to put it aside.
A year later, I tasted it again… and it was gorgeous. The characteristics that initially made me hesitant were gone. The wine was now soft with aged qualities and umami notes coming through, yet it remained light-bodied, which was surprising for a Tempranillo.
I was expecting it to either be past its prime or still the same, but it turned out to be my favorite bottle on the list. We sell it for around $60, so it's a great value. It was a funny experience because now, whenever I taste it, I can't help but smile.
MF: You've likely seen trends come and go. What's one trend in wine that you're excited about, and why?
KT: Hybrid grapes are an emerging trend that's really cool. I've had the pleasure of meeting winemakers from Vermont, upstate New York, and Canada who are pioneering the movement. In fact, a friend of mine, the founder of Kalchē Wines in Vermont, refers to their wine as "space juice" and "the wine of the future."
It's a different species of grape, not Vitis vinifera, but a variety of other species specifically bred to combat climate change. Which is crucial because traditional wine regions are facing challenges like excessive heat and rain, and these issues aren't going away.
It's a fascinating development, and I'm thrilled about it.
MF: What's one thing about being a sommelier that people might find surprising or unexpected?
KT: There's a ton of daily grunt work in the background, and you have to enjoy this aspect as much as everything else. Organization, updating menus, and other tasks way beyond interacting with guests and selling wine.
But I'd say it's the constant learning. You have to study… a lot. Even the best sommeliers in New York City, at tastings or events, are taking copious notes and asking questions. It's a job where one question can lead to 16 more, and so on. You have to enjoy the journey of continuous learning, and that's what makes it fun. It's a lot of work, but it's a fun job.
MF: As an actor, you must have some great storytelling chops. Can you tell us the story behind one of your favorite wines on the current list?
KT: Iago Garrido is currently one of my favorite winemakers. He's a former semi-professional soccer player turned winemaker, working out of Ribeiro in Galicia. Inspired by the wines from Jura, he fell in love with their unique characteristics.
He got his hands on a large amphora, buried it, and was surprised to discover that flor (a layer of yeast) was growing on his wine. Initially, he thought it was a mistake because Galicia wasn't known for producing flor.
But the wine turned out to be incredible, with a layered mineral vibrancy that I'm still obsessed with. The wine is called Mercenario Blanco, from his winery Fazenda Agrícola Augalevada. And now all his white wines age under flor.
It's amazing when a winemaker lets the wine dictate what it should be, rather than trying to mold it into something else. Garrido's approach is a perfect example of this philosophy.
MF: If you could introduce one of your favorite characters you've played to a wine, which character would it be and what wine would you choose?
KT: Ooh, that's a good question. Have you ever read or seen an adaptation of Pride and Prejudice? Years ago, I played Mr. Wickham who's kind of the villain. For some reason I tend to play a lot of villains.
Wickham is a cad who enters the play about 20 minutes in, just as everyone is celebrating Christmas. He bursts through the door, beat up and drunk, and wreaks havoc on the Christmas plans of the Pemberley estate.
Wickham strikes me as the type of guy who likes fancy things without really knowing why. He'd want something just because it's expensive. So, I'd give him a Corpinnat, a good sparkling wine from Penedès. He would probably call it champagne because he wouldn't know any better, and he'd think it's amazing. He'd be sitting there, enjoying this excellent sparkling wine, and never know the difference.
MF: If you could only drink one type of wine for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
KT: Oh man, that's such a hard question. It's like the desert island question.
You need a wine for all seasons, good at all times. I'd probably choose a mildly macerated, medium-bodied white that goes with pretty much everything. Something you can enjoy when it's hot or cold, with a touch of yeasty, herbaceous undertones to give you something to think about.
And it shouldn't just be clean and crisp, but maybe also a bit volatile, so each bottle is slightly different, providing some variety within your one choice.
MF: What's the most unusual food and wine pairing you've tried that actually worked?
KT: This was a weird but funny experience. It involved a Spanish wine paired with dessert.
The wine we used was called Kilometer Zero and we paired it with a sorbet with citrus notes that was quite rich. The wine had a savory taste, almost like beets. And at the time, I thought it needed something to complement it, as it wasn't a wine I'd want to drink on its own.
We tried pairing it with the citrus sorbet, and it blew my mind. The combination of the beet-like wine with the citrus sorbet worked perfectly. In any other situation, I wouldn't know what to pair with such a unique wine, but it was an excellent match.
Another fun pairing, which isn't so crazy but worked really well, was a Manzanilla sherry from De La Riva with Dover sole. It was a phenomenal pairing. Now, whenever I have a delicate fish with a rich sauce, I crave some Manzanilla sherry.
MF: To wrap up, if you had to describe your wine and music curation style using only three words, what would they be?
KT: Ooh, I'd say eclectic, history (as in personal history), and delicious.
Discover Kenny's Drop
Explore the 12 wines Kenny Toll curated for S02E07. Value bottles that punch above their weight class, every one.
FAQs
Who is Kenny Toll?
Kenny is the lead sommelier at Place des Fêtes in NYC. He started as an actor in San Francisco, bought a one-way ticket to New York, and ended up making wine his focus after the pandemic and a vocal cord injury.
What makes Kenny's wine curation unique?
He focuses on value wines that punch above their weight. His selections are eclectic, rooted in personal history, and always delicious. He's especially excited about hybrid grapes and Spanish natural wines.
What Drop did Kenny curate for Playlist?
Kenny curated S02E07, featuring wines that reflect his "Hard Left Turn" journey into wine.
Why does Place des Fêtes focus on Spanish wines despite its French name?
The name comes from a square in France where the owners conceived their first restaurant, Oxalis. Place des Fêtes started as a pandemic pop-up wine bar, and when they opened permanently, they decided to focus on Spanish wines to avoid overlap with Oxalis's French wine program.
What wine trend is Kenny most excited about?
Hybrid grapes bred to combat climate change. He calls them "space juice" and "the wine of the future," and he's thrilled about winemakers in Vermont, upstate New York, and Canada pioneering this movement.
What character would he pair with wine?
Mr. Wickham from Pride and Prejudice, the villain he once played. He'd give him a Corpinnat (Spanish sparkling wine), which Wickham would probably call champagne because he wouldn't know better.
