When Tim Gardner opened the Lula Drake Wine Parlour in 2016, garnering national recognition was not at the forefront of his mind.
But recognition came anyway 鈥� in the form of a James Beard Award, the highest honor in the culinary industry, or as Gardner said, 鈥�the Oscars of our world.鈥�
鈥淵ou never open a place thinking, 鈥極h, I鈥檓 going to win a James Beard Award.鈥� At least, I didn鈥檛,鈥� Gardner, Lula Drake鈥檚 founder and head sommelier, said. 鈥淭hat wasn鈥檛 even on the radar.鈥�
On June 10, Gardner earned the defining moment of his career as a sommelier when Lula Drake took home its first James Beard Award in the Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program category.
The award served as both a culminating achievement for Lula Drake and an indication that Columbia鈥檚 burgeoning food scene is continuing to grow.
Gardner first became interested in the wine industry while studying film, theatre and television as a graduate student at UCLA. He lived in California after graduation and spent a lot of time in "Wine Country," a region of the San Francisco Bay Area that is renowned for its wine production.
Gardner said his goal in graduate school was to become a director, and he now co-owns a film production company with his wife alongside his work at Lula Drake.
鈥淚 just always follow my passions, and I figured out some way to do both,鈥� Gardner said.
After years of traveling and studying wines, Gardner eventually earned a diploma from the International Sommelier Guild. Gardner's sommelier work would lead him to Spain, where he helped blend and choose wines for an import company for three years.
It was there that he realized he wanted to open his own wine bar.
Lula Drake shares a name with a woman whose hat shop, in the early 1900s, occupied the same building that houses the wine bar today. Gardner found a trunk of her belongings while examining the site at 1635 Main St. before the parlor opened.
鈥淚 had a lot of different names for this place. None of them were really good,鈥� Gardner said. 鈥淲e felt that honoring her legacy 鈥� we wanted to incorporate that history here because the building itself, when you walk in, I think, speaks to a lot of people.鈥�
Gardner said Lula Drake offers a rotating assortment of wines created by 鈥減eople that care about what they put in a bottle.鈥� Lula Drake鈥檚 emphasis on sustainability differentiates it from other wine bars because American consumers are used to drinking mass-produced wines, Gardner said.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 just the American culture. We didn鈥檛 have the culture that you did in Europe where, from the moment you were born, you were surrounded by wine at the dinner table,鈥� Gardner said. 鈥淗ere in 国产三级片, we were surrounded by sweet tea.鈥�
Bartender and server Alexandra Shertzer said this made Lula Drake the first of its kind in Columbia's food and beverage scene.
鈥淭his place really set the tone for that focus on small production, and they cleared the way for a lot of distributors to feel confident in bringing those wines to this market,鈥� Shertzer said.
Ashley Bundrick, Lula Drake鈥檚 sous chef, said the parlour also differs in the way it pairs wines with the food menu. Lula Drake鈥檚 pairing process is the exact opposite of the process used by most other restaurants, Bundrick said.
鈥淚n our case, Tim has the wines he wants to serve鈥� but he tells us what will go with that wine, and then we come up with a dish to make the wine taste better, and in turn, the wine makes the food taste better,鈥� Bundrick said. 鈥淗e just knows the scientific match that happens between those two things that I could never pull off the way he does so beautifully.鈥�
Lula Drake did not earn its first James Beard Award nomination for its wine selection, though. In 2023, the parlor was a finalist in the Outstanding Hospitality category, making it one of five restaurants nationwide to be considered for the award.
But for Gardner, being recognized for Lula Drake鈥檚 wine selection was even more special.
鈥淲inning in that category 鈥� that鈥檚 the tip of our spear, I like to say because that鈥檚 exactly what we do. We concentrate on wine, and a very specific kind of wine, so we鈥檙e not for everybody, and we don鈥檛 try to be,鈥� Gardner said. 鈥淭he recognition that that is something that鈥檚 valuable, that鈥檚 something I took away from that evening.鈥�
Gardner added that earning the award, which was presented to him by acclaimed sommelier Aldo Sohm at the James Beard Foundation鈥檚 Restaurant and Chef Awards Ceremony and Reception, was 鈥渢he most humbling moment of my entire life.鈥�
鈥淚t was a life-changing moment for me and the staff to be up there on that stage. You鈥檙e looking out, and there are famous chefs and restaurateurs and sommeliers 鈥� you鈥檙e surrounded by that,鈥� Gardner said. 鈥淭o be in the presence of that, and know that鈥檚 the company you鈥檙e keeping that night, it鈥檚 amazing.鈥�
Shertzer said the hard work Lula Drake鈥檚 staff shows behind the scenes stems from the positive, supportive and motivating environment it has created.
鈥淚t feels like we鈥檝e all come together to contribute to this 鈥� back of house, front of house, it doesn鈥檛 matter,鈥� Shertzer said. 鈥淟ast year, for the hospitality award, that was especially the case. And this year, with the outstanding wine list, it鈥檚 kind of a culmination of all that work.鈥�
Bundrick, a Columbia native, moved back to the city just over 15 years ago after spending time in Chicago and Charleston. Upon her return, Columbia's food scene, with few restaurants on Main Street and fast food chains spread throughout the area, was "pretty much nonexistent," she said.
Because of how quickly Columbia's culinary identity has changed, Bundrick said it is still difficult to grasp the gravity of Lula Drake winning such a distinguished honor.
鈥淣ever in a million years did I think this would even be an opportunity that would arise,鈥� Bundrick said. 鈥�(Executive chef Rachael Harrison) likes to say, 鈥業t鈥檚 a dream come true.鈥� But it鈥檚 not because it鈥檚 not something we ever dreamed would happen.鈥�
Gardner said Lula Drake has seen more customers enter its doors than ever before since the wine bar won a James Beard Award last month. But before he thinks about growth opportunities for Lula Drake or trying to implement new things on its menu, he said he wants to continue delivering on what makes it different from other food and beverage sites in Columbia.
"We have established ourselves as a legit place to go and experience something that you may not experience anywhere else. That includes the wine, the food, the service and, in general, the overall experience," Gardner said.