MOVERS and SHAKERS: Lisa Donneson, Founder of Bouke and Bouquet Our Coverage Sponsored by Liz Barbatelli's The Laundry at Linens Limited and E. Braun & Co. in Beverly Hills
Lisa Donneson
Both of the brands owned by Liz Barbatelli equally embody luxury and fine living, and we all know that quality linens go hand in hand with the right wine. Both exemplify the word luxury and the finest living, embellishing your entertaining style. This makes her companies the perfect pair to sponsor our Movers and Shakers segment honoring Lisa Donneson, Founder of Bouke and Bouquet.
Her company is the premier laundry service that takes care of their customer’s linens from all over the U. S. and in the past Whom You Know has highly recommended
The Laundry at Linens Limited, one of Liz Barbatelli's companies:
In addition, now they offer The Laundry’s Finest Laundry Powder which is the perfect detergent to enhance your lifestyle. The concentrated detergent formula is more effective than plant extract formulas and contains no synthetic chemicals and polluting additives. It is free from optical brightening or bleach alternative additives and protects your clothes against fading and discoloration. It is eco-friendly with its pH balanced, biodegradable and organic formula. Recycled materials make up the sturdy, refillable canister good for 40 high efficiency loads of laundry or 20 loads in a conventional machine. The canister comes with a handy dispensing scooper and can be easily refilled with pre-measured plastic refill bags, thereby reducing landfill waste. As a result, today the company is recognized as the foremost fine linen laundry service in the country and its commitment to being environmentally friendly and being biodegradable make the world a better place! www.linenlaundry.com
For generations, E. Braun & Co. in Beverly Hills, Liz Barbatelli's second venture, has been the unrivalled source of the world’s most luxurious linens for the table, bed and bath. You can customize your entire home with E. Braun & Co. in Beverly Hills making for a comfortable fit of use and lifestyle! In this generation, the legend is renewed, as E. Braun & Co. emerges as the classic American linen house with the 21st century perspective. Whom You Know highly encourages that you consult E. Braun & Co. in Beverly Hills for your linen needs where Liz and her team of experts cater to your bespoke vision. Today, E. Braun & Co. assembles the finest collections of traditional and contemporary linens, staffed with experts ready to guide you in selecting the linens that will give you the greatest satisfaction and enjoyment for years to come.
At Whom You Know we embrace all aspects of the best entertaining and you can be assured when we are sipping wine and entertaining in high style, it is with E. Braun linens laundered in the finest detergent on earth by The Laundry at Linens Limited.
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Trained originally as a musician, Lisa Donneson founded Bouké (dry) and Bouquet (sweet) wines in 2007 after a long career as a securities analyst and media industry consultant on Wall Street. She turned her wine sipping skills into a diploma when she attended the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, then into a winery when she joined forces with French winemaker consultant Gilles Martin.
The fun here was in creating a signature style—aromatic, yet fresh—for a totally new brand, and at the same time, demonstrating how good Long Island wines can be. The name is catchy, the packaging fresh and contemporary, and the taste is delicious! Bouké and Bouquet wines are a pleasure for all the senses – the eye, the nose, and of course, the taste buds.
The wines have won numerous medals at both local and national competitions -- San Francisco International Wine Competition, Dallas Morning News Wine Competition, Indy Indiana International Wine Competition, New York Wine & Food Classic, Appellation America, and Beverage Tasting Institute. They have also received favorable press from tough critics at The New York Times, Newsday, The Village Voice and edible East End.
Lisa is diversifying into wine accessories with a newly designed website, www.bouquetwine.com, with leather bike wine carriers, bamboo bike racks, felt wine totes, artistic corkscrews, wine tasting books, garden scented candles and jazzy gift cards.
A member of the Long Island Wine Council and New York Women’s Culinary and Alliance and an annual wine judge for Global Traveler’s Wines on the Wing airline wine survey, Lisa lives in Brooklyn New York with her husband (they met grape-picking in the Tuscan hills), and they have two daughters in college. Besides sipping, Lisa loves to cook and ride her bicycle. We are so pleased to present Lisa as our latest Mover and Shaker! Peachy Deegan interviewed Lisa Donneson for Whom You Know.
Peachy Deegan:
Please compare and contrast the wine industry with the life of Wall Street.
Lisa Donneson: The wine industry is hospitable and low-margin; Wall Street is competitive and high-margin.
What do you know now about developing a brand that you wish you knew in 2007?
Marketing and sampling costs are higher than I expected.
Do you think one can be taught how to make wine well or is it an innate talent?
You can't make good wine without skill; you can't make great wine without talent.
What do you enjoy most about your profession now?
When someone tastes and loves the wines.
How do you come up with new ideas for wine?
Old-world reference points, discussions with my winemaker consultant, requests from the trade and consumers, research.
What or who has had the most influence on your pursuit of excellence?
DNA. You have to have an innate drive for excellence and apply it to whatever you do in life.
What are you proudest of and why?
Bouké Red Wine. It has developed beautifully and is showing more complexity every year.
What would you like to do professionally that you have not yet had the opportunity to do?
Have my own tasting room.
What honors and awards have you received in your profession?
San Francisco International Wine Competition, Dallas Morning News Wine Competition, Indy Indiana International Wine Competition, New York Wine & Food Classic, Appellation America, and Beverage Tasting Institute.
What is your favorite place to be in Manhattan?
Bike path along the Hudson River
What is your favorite shop in Manhattan?
I love and appreciate all of my wine retailers.
What is your favorite drink?
The Peachy Deegan!
What is the funniest thing that has ever happened to you at a cocktail party?
Arriving the wrong week, and happily fitting into a party anyway.
What is your favorite restaurant in Manhattan?
Home (Cornelia St.) Pretty garden, delicious food, warm service, open for every meal.
What is your favorite Manhattan book?
Tom Wolfe, Bonfire of the Vanities and Jay McInerney's Bright Lights, Big City. Great writers. I like reading whatever they write.
Who would you like to be for a day and why?
Queen Elizabeth I - perhaps the greatest monarch of England
If you could have anything in Manhattan named after you what would it be and why?
A garden - so welcoming and aromatic
What has been your best Manhattan athletic experience?
NYC marathon - I ran the marathon in 2011 after 9/11, and after crossing each bridge I was so glad to be alive. An unforgettable communal experience with the crowd, policemen and firemen. Century rides, because they are exhilarating.
What is your favorite thing to do in Manhattan that you can do nowhere else?
Going for walks where there are quintesssential NY views. I especially love the view from the promenade in Brooklyn Heights of the Manhattan skyline, the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge.
If you could have dinner with any person living or passed, who would it be and why?
My husband, because I love him
What has been your best Manhattan art or music experience?
Playing chamber music with friends (vln & vla)
What do you personally do or what have you done to give back to the world?
Bringing two wonderful children into the world.
What do you think is most underrated and overrated here?
Pasta is overpriced. Local wines are underrated by those who remember what it tasted like in the 1970s; it's a different product now. Millions of dollars and worldwide talent has come here to produce world-class wine.
Other than Movers and Shakers of course, what is your favorite Whom You Know column and what do you like about it?
Champagne Wishes -- I want to know what Movers and Shakers wish to drink.
Have you drank The Peachy Deegan yet and if not, why not?
Yes, Dee-lish!
What else should Whom You Know readers know about you?
You've covered a lot of ground.
How would you like to be contacted by Whom You Know readers?
