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Welcome to the Connected Table Live.We're your hosts, Melanie Young and David Ransom, your insatiably curious culinary couple.
We enjoy traveling the world and meeting the dynamic people who work front and center and behind the scenes in wine, food, spirits, and hospitality, publishing and education to share their stories with you.
We like to keep on top of what's happening, what people are eating and drinking, trends and movements.And we're really interested in today's topic.It's one we've not tackled yet on this show.
We recently attended Tales of the Cocktail New Orleans, which is a giant conviving of the top leaders in spirits and bar industry.And it's a great place to learn about new trends, products and developments.
I went with the interest in learning more about the zero proof or no alcohol development movement that is so important right now and a big topic of conversation.I attended a seminar called From Zero to Hero.
And one of the panelists is joining us today.
She is a journalist named Hillary Scheinbaum, and she's the founder of GoingDry.co and the author of The Dry Challenge, How to Lose the Booze for Dry January, Sober October, and any other alcohol-free month.
and a follow-up book called Going Dry, a workbook, a practical guide to drinking less and living more.
Hilary will tell us about her sober curious experience, but she has been published in many leading outlets, including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Well and Good and several other top tier outlets.
We think this is an interesting topic and we think that Hilary has a very fascinating story.So we welcome you Hilary Scheinbaum to the Connected Table Live.
Thank you for having me.That was such a lovely intro.
Thank you.So Hilary, we like to always start with the backstory.We know you grew up in South Florida. Tell us about your early interest in your childhood and growing up and was alcohol consumption part of your family lifestyle?
It's funny, not really. Grew up in South Florida, playing a lot of sports, spending a lot of time in the sun without sunscreen, which I do not recommend.These days I'm a little bit more careful about that.
But, you know, I have three younger brothers and we all were very active individuals.Our dad would have, you know, a beer here and there, like at a ball game.
You know, at dinner, our mom doesn't really drink, but all four of us actually went to the University of Florida.And I also went to the Florida State University and both schools have, you know, a pretty interesting party element to them.
I think Florida State at the time was definitely a little bit more into going out and drinking and those big parties.
But I think Florida as a whole, because it's so sunny year round, there's never a time when people aren't drinking cocktails by the pool.
Well, you know, we live in New Orleans.It seems like everybody has a cocktail in their hand.
You get it.Yeah.Only we get to walk down the street with them.Yeah.
Yeah.That's true.So did you always wanted to be in journalism or did you have other career expectations and desires or did you study journalism?
You know, it's funny.Ever since I was really young, I always wanted to write a book.I truly thought that I was going to grow up and become a novelist.
And I really got into a lot of celebrity blogs and celebrity culture at a pretty young age, like in high school.And so my dream in high school was really to become the editor-in-chief of Teen People or People Magazine.
And that really lasted quite a bit.So when I actually went to college, I really wanted to study journalism.And at Florida State, there isn't a journalism program.So I studied public relations.And even when I transferred, I
stayed a public relations major at the University of Florida because I had already accumulated so many credits.But at the same time, I was taking journalism classes.I was writing for both school newspapers.
And I really just truly enjoyed interviewing people and learning something new on a regular basis.So eventually, I did get to you know, reach that dream of interviewing celebrities once I moved to New York.
And certainly just right out of college, one of my my first big, I don't know if it's a big break, but one of my first big interviews was with the cast of the Jersey Shore, if you remember them.
And that was for Us Weekly magazine right out of college.So I, I've definitely been consistent in the fact that I've always wanted to be a writer.And I I wanted to be part of the entertainment industry.
And although I'm not really as connected as I used to be in that red carpet, movie, TV, music sphere, I think that it was definitely a cool part of my 20s.And yeah, that has remained consistent.
I've always wanted to write and be a communicator in that regard.
I wonder if you knew my cousin, Jeffrey Slurnim.He was a red carpet reporter.
I did, oh my gosh, yes.And so is your cousin as well.
Oh my gosh, he was such a lovely person.I would see him on the red carpet so many times and he is truly missed.
He is, he was a hard worker.And Hunt is too, Hunt's prolific.You know, your website, hillaryscheinbaum.com shows how prolific you are.You've got quite the portfolio for our listeners.
Hillary covers a wide range of topics, which is I think the only way to make any money in journalism these days, from beverage to food to travel to fitness, fashion, love and beauty.
And kudos to you because it is very hard to be a sustainable working journalist right now.
Yeah.You know, I think that it's changed so much.Certainly there was the heyday of magazines and obviously with the dot coms now and a lot of social media, people just get their news in different ways.And so it is It can be very difficult.
It can be a challenge.And I think that as media has evolved, the writers have to do the same.So yeah, I definitely cover a lot of different topics. These days, I cover a lot of lifestyle trends and wellness.
And obviously, I am part of the non-alcoholic beverage industry.But I don't write about non-alcoholic beverage brands themselves, because I try to keep it church and state.Yeah.
So in 2017, you wrote that you decided to go dry for 70 days to learn more about yourself in meditation, things like that.Tell us the backstory of going dry with the Sober Curious Guide.
So yeah, so when the first time that I decided to go dry, I was living in New York City.I was a red carpet reporter.It was 2016 and I used to go to these amazing events and after parties and I would commonly bring a friend with me.
A lot of the times I would bring my friend Alejandro and he went out, you know, all the time anyway.But I, he and I got dinner at the end of the year and he brought up this thing called dry January, which I thought was kind of
silly because i was you know going out every night for work and i was also freelancing and covering topics food and beverage and the majority of my articles were about alcohol and i was writing for usa today and eater and forbes and you know am new york and um
I just didn't think that dry January was something that was possible for me, given my work life and also my social life because I was in New York in my 20s and I was single and, you know, with dating every first date involves going for drinks.
Anyway, I just kind of brushed it off and a week later on New Year's Eve, I texted my friend while I was drinking and I suggested that we make a bet to see who could go the month of January without booze.
I ended up winning and Alejandro ended up losing and he had to buy me dinner.I got to pick the place.It was anywhere in New York.And so I picked a Michelin star restaurant called Momofuku Ko, which sadly closed recently.
But, you know, during that 31 day period, I, It was just life changing as cliche as that sounds, but I had better sleep.I had better mental clarity.I was less anxious.
I, my skin had improved and I was certainly saving a lot of money, not spending them on, you know, New York priced cocktails.So that's how all of this really started for me in January, 2017.
And a couple of years later, I wrote a book called Dry Challenge that came out in late 2020.And from there, I've just seen so many people kind of change their drinking lifestyle habits.
And I will say that neither of my books are for people who are seeking recovery programs.
They're really for social drinkers who are looking to reevaluate their relationship with alcohol, or maybe, you know, peel back a bit, just see kind of what's out there.But I am certainly not a medical doctor and none of this is medical advice.
But yeah, that's really how it started and it's just kind of continued and snowballed from there.
Well, the timing is interesting because in 2020, in the height of the pandemic, a lot of people, you know, because people were quarantined at home, the alcohol business was booming.
Our little neighborhood wine shop, Kenny, said it was like Christmas every day at his wine store, because everybody was drinking more and staying at home.
And I think, you know, from my perspective, looking at it all of it now, everybody got very into wine, everybody's doing virtual wine and spirits and cocktail.
But the end result is that come 2022, I'll say, everybody realized that they survived COVID-19, but they gained the COVID-19.And a lot of us felt fat, labby, pasty and sluggish.
And unfortunately, some people did have a completely different relationship with alcohol and some didn't, but I think everybody kind of did a hard reset.
I know a lot of people who've shared that with me and that you heard more people talking about wanting to take time off. from consuming.
What is your thoughts on that in terms of the timing and the evolution of what was called, and I had never even heard the term sober curious until Brad Pitt said it.
Yeah, it's, you know, I think that during COVID, as you said, a lot of people found themselves drinking more than they had before.Certainly, cocktail hour was rolling around at earlier and earlier hours.There was no separation between
work and being home.And so I think that people were often using alcohol to divide that time.And I know that people were really over served, you know. over serving themselves, I should say.
So I think that coming out of the pandemic, I think that people were looking to jump back into socializing, but they were also realizing that, as you said, you know, maybe their habits had gone too far for their comfort, and they were looking to take more efforts to be a little bit healthier or a little bit more wellness focused.
Curious, at what point, one of the reasons that we were introduced to you is that you spoke at Tales of the Cocktail, which also had a hard reset and realized, because there's that TV term, jump the shark.
where things just kind of go this way, the tipping point.And Tails had to have a hard reset as well and really step back and address the growing topic of mental health and striking balance in the industry.
A lot of people opened up that they were having difficulties with it.And fortunately, everyone now feels comfortable talking about it and the conversation is wide open.
One of the interesting developments in this from my perspective, besides that people are open about it and addressing it and it's accepted and people know where to seek help, is that the hospitality industry has taken notice and is creating ways to offer better options for those who choose to abstain or who are unable to consume alcohol, which is where you started offering some consulting work.
So talk to us about how that all evolved.
Yeah, definitely.And I, and I love that, like, people are so much more open about their mental health.And it's, I think it's only bettered the community.
But yeah, I think that for me, personally, when I started doing Dry January, and this was, you know, eight plus years ago, There weren't options for me on any menus.
There were some kind of like in the know brands that were popular that I could buy online after doing, you know, an immense amount of research.
But if I wanted to order a non-alcoholic cocktail, I would have to go to the bartender, specifically ask that for them to make it for me.Sometimes I would have to suggest ingredients.
And it wasn't just as simple as pointing to something on the menu and saying, like, I will have one of those. And so I realized that pretty quickly.And now I work with bars and restaurants and hotels to curate non-alcoholic menus.
So one of the hotels that I partnered with most recently is the Four Seasons in Jackson Hole.And now they have non-alcoholic white wines that were recently added to their menu by Gießen 0%. And they're so good.They're absolutely delicious.
But I think the important part of that is being able to, you know, open up that menu at their Ascent Lounge and say, I want this.And it's on, you know, its own page with a variety of non-alcoholic cocktails.And so if you're, you know,
even if you are drinking wine, or you're drinking a cocktail, you can go every other, you know, glass with the alcoholic version versus the non alcoholic version.
And yeah, I just think it's, it's so easy when you're in places like, you know, Jackson Hole to have a dry, quote, unquote, dry tripping experience where alcohol might not
be even necessary, but I definitely think it's important to work with hotels because I find that a lot of people see vacation and travel as an opportunity to drink because they're not on the clock.
They don't have to necessarily abide by the same schedules or, you know, you see people drinking in the airport at like 7 a.m.all the time.
And yeah, I just think it's important for people to be able to point to something on the menu and say, wow, that sounds delicious, instead of having to think of it for themselves.
One of the things that was a challenge that the panelists brought up at the Zero to Hero is how to achieve that umami in balance with a cocktail.
We've tasted many, and we tasted a tails and also had samples sent to us of non-alcoholic option beverages from wine to pre-made cocktails to I guess mixers.
To actually distilled spirits.
And distilled spirits. Fairly consistently, and I think we both agree it's fairly still an evolving industry.We haven't found tons that we love.We found a few things we do.We taste with an open mind with everything.
But that was a big discussion, how to make the taste and texture and balance work.What are some ways that you advise your clients?
You know, it really depends on what they already have on their menu and the ingredients that they're already serving.
I've found, and I do experimenting on my own, and more recently, this might sound a little bit weird, but I think that if you can pull off having seaweed as a garnish.
I think keeping your, it's not that you want to like drink salt water by any means, but I think that if you can incorporate, you know, a couple of ingredients that are well balanced, not too sweet, they might have a like a tiny bit of sweetness.But
I really think that there's a lot that you can do with these non-alcoholic spirits because a lot of them are, you know, pretty odorless, they're pretty, it depends actually, but like one of them, there's a brand that I really like, it's called Fluair, and they make non-alcoholic spirits where they have like all different kinds of things.
They have a Mezcal, they have a raspberry gin, obviously not for a umami drink, but
I think that there are ways that you can really, you know, use what's in your kitchen and use these spirits and not stick to maybe like the traditional cocktails that you and I are used to seeing on every menu, like a margarita or even mojitos or things of that nature.
You know, Melanie, we tasted a few spirits like that at Tales of the Cocktail this year, non-alcoholic.I thought that they've really come a long way in the last few years.
and really are starting to be ingredients that you can really make great cocktails with.
Oh, surprise.We went to a zero-proof lounge at Napoleon House, and I was taken by, and we had Lynette Marrero on the show a couple of weeks ago, I was taken by her cocktail with Aplos, which she's working on.I thought that was an exceptional,
drink that she made and a terrific product and obviously we're not paid by anybody.We once had, in the beginning, Seedlip, the founder of Seedlip, was on our show because we liked the product.
I was just coming off of treatment for breast cancer and had gone to my first teetotaling tails and Wanted to learn more about healthy options.
This is something that's been a personal interest to me I've written about session cocktails for 750 daily because I do want to see people have options I think a lot of people don't realize that it's that the reason that
people cannot drink or choose not to drink is highly personal, but it ranges for so many reasons, whether you're pregnant, you're under treatment for religious purposes, for just, you need to pull back for your health and wellness.
There's so many reasons, and I don't think people realize that and are sensitive to that, because there's a large population of people that just do not drink for all those reasons.
And it was always frustrating, Hillary and David, to go and just see Diet Coke as my option.
100%.And, you know, sometimes people don't have a reason at all that they don't drink.Maybe some people don't like the taste of alcohol.I also think that there are so many, as you were saying, so many options.
One of the websites that I love is called betterroads.com. and they have a lot of, an array of different products and a lot of selection.I think that there's also been an uptick in functional beverages.
One of the brands that I've recently discovered is called Duomo, D-O apostrophe M-O, and it has 17 functional ingredients.So, and they're all, you know, to benefit your health.
Whereas I think that sometimes people, when you're drinking, even if you're a healthy person who exercises, who goes to sleep at a reasonable hour, who takes care of themselves, I think that often we can experience hangovers or not feeling our best.
And I think it's just really cool that there are these brands now that only enhance those wellness functions.
Now, there was a lot of discussion about how many options should be on a menu, the pricing, what they should be referred to.What are your thoughts on that if you were advising a restaurant, bar, hotel?
So when I'm advising a venue, I want to be as collaborative as possible.So, for example, a lot of people don't like the name Mocktail because they think that it's mocking, you know, a creative drink that doesn't have alcohol.And my viewpoint is
If you can fit the words non-alcoholic cocktail on your menu or zero proof, if it is, you know, 0.0 ABV and that's the language that you want to use, I think that's great.
But if you only have so many characters on your menu that you want to use the word mocktail, I think that's fine.And I think that people understand what that word means. I don't think it's like an offensive term.
My viewpoint on this may change, but that's how I currently feel.And I think it's always important to have, you know, a non-alcoholic beer, a non-alcoholic wine, and maybe a few different non-alcoholic cocktails.
If you can make the cocktails that are already on your menu non-alcoholic, I think more power to you. Um, but I think it is important to at least have three options that people can choose from that are not diet coke.
Yeah.You know, I think that, I think you're right about that.I, I've looked at me and they're all, they're all the same price.So listeners don't think you're going to get a deal.
Um, yeah.Right.To touch on that.I think, you know, people, it,
It might not be so obvious or apparent, but obviously, if it takes the same amount of time for the bartender to craft a non-alcoholic cocktail as an alcoholic one, it's still their time and their craft.
I also think that in terms of non-alcoholic wines and non-alcoholic beers, those products have to go through an additional process that makes it even more expensive.
And obviously, sometimes that price is reflected on the consumer, unfortunately, but it's all because it's more costly, or it's the same cost.
It's not, I don't think anyone's trying to like, you know, pull any wool over people's eyes and say, like, okay, we're gonna make this more expensive.
But I do I have heard from people that, you know, they're more respectful towards these non alcoholic beverages, when they do have a higher price point.
That's an interesting point.
Because, you know, when we were going through Tales of the Cocktail and we tasted a significant number of non-alcoholic spirits.And, you know, they're all coming out at 30 to 35, even $40 a bottle.
And so that compares to a bottle of vodka or gin of the same caliber.
Yeah.And the cocktails are the same.
So they put a lot of effort into making that product.Obviously, in a lot of ways, they have to put even more effort into it because they have to come up with something that's going to really taste like you're not missing the alcohol.
Totally.Yeah.Yeah.I mean, like I said, I think there's a lot of products out there.Some of them are too sweet for us or metallic.I think it like with a really good bottle of wine, you do get what you pay for.
And it is all in the ingredients and the way the product is made, much like wine.Your books do discuss and help people address being sober, curious, it is difficult for some people.
It's a discipline much like health and wellness, and you write extensively on that topic.I mean, like anything that is basically a process to manage, to take care of yourself takes a lot of efforts.Do you feel that
And I know that you list all the months.Do you feel the dry January, sober October and other alcohol-free months are helping or are they more promotional?
Because I know that, and before we went on, we talked about the fact that there's some grumbling in the wine world about sober October being the worst timing ever when people are trying to sell more products before the holidays.
What are your thoughts on that?
Yeah, I think that it can be a very helpful tool for people who are looking to cut back.
I think for me, personally, after, you know, doing my first dry January, and my second dry January, and, you know, starting to be just so aware of what I was consuming was really helpful.And it is, it has influenced me to cut back more and more.
So I think It just really depends on your goals.I understand that people in the wine, beer, and spirits industries who are obviously running businesses would find sober October or dry January to be a bit frustrating.
But with that, I think that for people who are in those industries, I think seeing and realizing that their customer is changing is really important too.
You know, we've seen these changes occur within brands like Diageo, where they've, you know, brought in other brands like Seedlip, right, the non-alcoholic spirits brand.We've seen it in beers like Heineken and Corona and
we've, you know, definitely seen it in wines like Gießen and Freshenet and Mionetto.So I don't think that it's saying like, you should never drink wine.I think it's just more of opening up people's eyes to other versions of those products.
So you can still drink wine, just might not have alcohol in it.And, you know, if your goals are just to cut back, then, you know, you can continue drinking after your dry months.
I think that you'll just be mindful of what you're consuming moving forward if you weren't already.
What's interesting, it's much like You know, Dave and I, you know, we drink for a living wine and we'll have days where we'll just say, we're not, we're going to take a break.We have break days.So you got to balance it.
You can't, you know, Pete Wells, God bless him.He reviewed restaurants for what, 12 years, 13 years?And he ended up with fatty liver and health issues.At some point you have to create balance and moderation just for your overall wellbeing.
Yes. Absolutely.I think it's just, again, it really depends on your lifestyle, your career, your goals, like how you're feeling mentally, emotionally, physically.
I think that there are just so many elements of, again, like why people decide to take a night off or a week off or a month off or a year or longer, you know?And I also always say to people, like, because
giving up alcohol is not an easy feat, even if it's for 31 days, like alcohol is everywhere.It's part of celebrating birthdays.It's part of dating.It's part of mourning.
It's part of, you know, you have like, you have a terrible day, you lose your job.The first thing that people turn to is drinking and it's part of our culture, right?And a lot of people's cultural backgrounds.Um, so I think that,
it seems and it can be a very heavy undertaking, but I also always say that if you have a drink in the middle of your dry month or the beginning or the end or whatever it is, or you have a night of drinking, that's okay too.
Like it's your month and you're allowed to do it the way that you please.My suggestion is just, you know, getting right back to it and finishing off your challenge or your month in a strong way and continuing to, you know, abstain.
But I think that, like, There's been, I think, a lot of conversation about dry months putting too much pressure, right?It has to be all or nothing.And I think that you should aim for, like, 100%.
But if you don't go the entire month without a sip of alcohol, like, if you do have a drink, like, that's OK, too.It's really the point is to see how your life changes in the absence of alcohol, if it does at all.
And maybe it doesn't, maybe, you know, you still sleep the same, maybe you don't lose any weight, maybe you don't save any money, I don't know.
But I can say that, you know, there are so many big changes and benefits that can come from abstaining for just a short period of time.So you might as well just like, try it, the time is gonna pass anyway.
David, do you remember when you didn't drink for that period of time?Yes.
Well, I was also sick.I was in the hospital for three weeks.
50 pounds.A lot of you weren't drinking.
No, but I didn't drink for like three months.
And I also just was adamant about that. Only healthy things going in my body and no salt.
I couldn't drink and I was, you know, I was, I was in pretty rough shape, but, um, well, that's another story, but yeah, I lost a lot of weight and I, and I gained a little of it back, but. but nowhere near what I was.It was amazing.
I was actually glad for that because you look better and you're healthier as a result of it.And again, I'm going to underscore in the hand about today, but it's about balance.This isn't about anti or pro.
I was writing someone on LinkedIn that it's not about anti-alcohol, pro-alcohol, neo-prohibition, or all these terms being floated around. It's about we all need to have a balance for what's best for us and what we choose to do with our life.
It's similar to when I remember, you know, if you're a vegetarian and you go out and everybody's eating meat and there were never any options for you other than three measly pieces of vegetable on a plate.
I'm so thrilled now that when I go out, there are really great vegetarian options on a menu.And in the same way, I'm really excited that when I go out and see a bar menu or wine menu, there's great alcohol free options as well.I equate it that way.
Yeah, exactly.I think it's just like being able to choose is important.And again, like even if you, you know, you're not a vegetarian, like you said, sometimes you just aren't in the mood for eating meat.And that's okay.No judgment.
Yeah.So let's talk about Going Dry, which is called Going Dry, A Sober Curious Guide to Drinking Less and Living More.And you call it a workbook, and that's exactly what it is.
You really want people to make their own decisions, but you also want them to document it in this book.And so you've really made this book into a workbook where people chart the territory as they go through it, right?So tell us a little bit about it.
Yeah, so when I wrote my first book, The Dry Challenge, it was about how to do a dry January or a sober October.And it was also talking about the benefits of doing so.And the workbook, Going Dry, is really about the reader and their process.
And it has more than 70 different prompts and activities that are interactive for the reader. And it's just supposed to be a very like non-judgmental guide as well.So there is a forward by Lauren Bostic.
She is a podcaster and an entrepreneur and a New York Times bestseller. The book was also reviewed, it has little back cover blurbs that were penned by Molly Sims and Melissa Wood Tepperberg, who are also people that I look up to.
But the book as a whole is just really for people to document and to really figure out like how drinking is making them feel. again, in a non-judgmental way.
So I think like for me personally, if I now look back on my last dry month, I might remember some, you know, general details, like maybe I didn't go out on a Friday night or I, you know, maybe I got like eight hours of sleep, you know, consistently for a week, but I might not remember those details two, three, four months later, even a year later.
So I think that having those things written down about like how you're feeling and what's motivating you is really important so that you can look back and recall those emotions and those feelings and really those statistics that you may forget afterwards.
And I think it's motivating to, you know, either keep you going or hopefully it doesn't discourage you from doing another dry stint.But I think that, you know, having those facts in front of you is always helpful.
Well, it's like having a wellness journal or a food diary when you're dieting and it helps just kind of, those prompts are very helpful.It can be very hard for some people to choose to make the choice.
They may have gotten very comfortable having their nightcap or aperitif or whatever.
And, you know, Dave and I, every time we go out to Hawaii, we go to Hawaii like every other year, vacation, we're like, we're not going to drink the entire time we're there.We're going to be really helpful, right?
Yeah, well, that never happens.
That never happens. So it is what it is.You also have to not blame yourself if you have a slip up on it.But I think what's exciting about this to me, Hilary, is that the conversation is out there.
Because there was a time where if you go out and you don't have something to drink, somebody would say, why aren't you drinking?Which is really a terrible thing to say.Totally.Or you would be over served. There was a peer pressure.I grew up with it.
So I grew up with peer pressure to drink and I grew up in a family where my father was a wine consumer and collector and taught me about responsibility.And I was always into health and wellness.
So I always, even from my teenage years, had that issue of why aren't you drinking more?Why aren't you having another?What's wrong with you?And it dogged me a lot.Fortunately,
didn't buckle down to it, but you know, a few bad times with alcohol, you never want to have, you know, that feeling again, if you over imbibe.I think the fact that a lot of people can talk about it, and for whatever reason, is important.
And the fact that the industry is responding is very important, because we have to have options for people who are not are not drinking.
Yeah.So tell us what else you're working on and what inspires you.What do you really enjoy writing about?If you had all the freedom in the world, Hilary, and it wasn't about writing to get paid, what would you love to write about?
It's funny, I feel very fortunate that a lot of the topics that I cover these days are things that I am just genuinely interested in.
I think that a lot of my stories from the New York Times are things that are, they come up in conversation with friends and then they inspire our stories.
So for example, there was a recent piece that I wrote about adults that sleep with their childhood stuffed animals. and how it affects their love lives.And yeah, and that was actually inspired by a friend who took her stuffed animal to her honeymoon.
And I have known this person for, you know, more than a decade.And it just randomly came up in conversation earlier this year.And I was
shocked because I was like, wait, how do I not know that you sleep with a stuffed animal and that you take it everywhere?But anyway, it ended up becoming a New York Times piece that I wrote and it was just fun.
So once she said it, I had to know if other adults were still sleeping with their teddy bears and their stuffed animal dogs and things like that.So yeah, I think a lot of the stuff that I write is tied to my own personal interests.
Not in the sense of like, I'm pushing things on other people, just like I genuinely care about, you know, wellness and fitness and health and, you know, other lifestyle things, like stuffed animals, I guess.
Yeah, I think that weddings are fascinating.I've covered them for years.I think that there's just a true intersection of tradition and culture and beauty and food and beverage.And there's so many topics within.
It really goes past the glamorization of walking down the aisle or all of the decor.Yeah, there's a lot there. I, yeah, I think there, I have a lot of interests, but those, those things are usually at the top.
That inspires me too, as we go back and forth on how to expand our portfolio.I think you just got to touch on stuff that just tweaks your interests and then just find the right people to pitch.
For people who are listening, and we do have listeners who are writers, what would you advise on crafting a great pitch?Because we all know, we've all been there, where you send out a pitch and it's like crickets.Yeah.What do you do?
I think like the first thing is that you just can't take rejection personally or like ghosting personally, because it's not personal.
But secondly, I think that when you're writing a pitch, obviously, it's very important to do your research and make sure that the outlet has not covered that topic before. And certainly not recently.
And if there's a news peg to it, like, why is it important that you're writing about this now?I think that is really important.
And I also think that it's important to introduce yourself to the editor and explain to them why you are the person who should be writing this article.
um you know if you're somebody who is who never drinks and you're like very interested in non-alcoholic beverages I think you would probably be a great candidate to do the research and you probably already have some background in you know products and um how alcohol is removed from wine and beer and you know you might know some people who um in the industry whereas like if you're somebody who
maybe doesn't think fondly of non-alcoholic beverages, you probably wouldn't want to pitch that because it doesn't, you know, it doesn't sound like it's something that you're maybe interested in and maybe you might not know as much as like the next person.
But again, I think that's what's interesting about journalism too is that it's an opportunity to become the expert in whatever it is that you're covering.So yeah, I hope that's helpful.
I think it's interesting.We always tell people, because everybody goes, oh, there's no money in wine writing.
If I hear that lament anymore, from where I stand wearing a business hat and tell you to myself, if there's no money in wine writing, then expand your repertoire or get a day job and write on the side.I mean, I think I've said that to so many people.
over time because everybody's boo-hoo-hooing, but it's true.You can only save yourself.
And I'm a big believer as a journalist, unless you're at a very high level like the guy that covers transportation, Chris Van Cleave at the CPS, he covers transportation.Expand your repertoire. I think you've drawn a really great point, right?
Write what you know or what you're genuinely curious about.Curious about is important because you don't have to be an expert in it, but you are curious about it and you want to learn more, which is one of my, how I do things often on my other show.
Or what just amuses you or sparks, it's just kind of an interesting thing.And then you will be able to find more opportunities to play stories.
But you really can't just be a one hit one topic wonder, unless you have a regular, like, you know, not everybody's Eric Asimov, or Blake Gray, or somebody like that.
Totally.I think it's important to I think also, when you expand a little bit on your coverage, it can open your eyes to not only just becoming like a better writer, but also other opportunities as well.I mean,
You know, I used to write primarily about wine, beer, and spirits, and celebrities.And these days, I very rarely cover celebrities.Sometimes I'll do an interview here or there, but I really don't write about booze at all.
So I think, yeah, just being open to new things can change the trajectory of your career.
How important is social media to your craft of your writing?Do editors, if you're trying to work with new editors, do they also look at your social media?
Do you find that having a strong social media following, I don't know what you write, I'm not on it right now, helps or doesn't really matter?
I don't know that if I've gotten jobs as like in journalism based on my social media, I'm not sure.I don't want to say yes, I don't want to say no.
I do know that when you are pitching a book, it's important to be engaged on social media because as authors, you are responsible for writing your book and obviously, if you have an audience that
is connected to you, they will likely be the ones who are making those purchases and making your publisher happy.I think that in terms of using social media, sometimes I've found story ideas that way or have noticed trends.
So I think it can be helpful.I think it can also be distracting, but it kind of just, again, depends on your goals and what you're doing with it and how much time you're spending.
Right.And just to underscore that, your Instagram is HillaryWritesNY.And it is important when you have a book.That's probably the only reason I'm still keeping it, because I've got to have a book.But what is next on the horizon?
Obviously, you've got the new book.What else after that?
Yeah, so I'm going to continue working with hotels, bars, and restaurants on their non-alcoholic menus.So I'm very excited about that.And I'm throwing events.I have a few coming up in New York.And hopefully, I'll be back in Los Angeles soon.
I'm currently nominated on a panel for South by Southwest in Austin.So hopefully I'll be in Austin, Texas in March for that panel if we get chosen.But yeah, there's a lot going on and I'm really excited to see what happens in the next couple months.
Well, that's very, very exciting.The South by Southwest thing is interesting.Another friend of mine just wrote that she's going to be speaking on a panel on food is medicine.Yeah, which is a topic of interest.
We've not been to South by Southwest, and we'd like to spend a little more time checking out Austin because it keeps popping up in our aura these days.
But it's been really great talking to you about your backstory and your approach to covering a topic that I think sometimes is misunderstood and needs to be understood better for a variety of reasons.Because some people call it a trend.
I don't consider this a trend at all.I consider that it is
part and parcel of the mix that you have when you have a restaurant, a bar or a hotel or a wedding or an event that you have to think about every guest and what they may or may not want to consume, right?
Well, we've been talking with Hillary Scheinbaum and you can find her at website by that name and Hillary White's NY on Instagram.We raise a Zero proof toast to you and thank you for all you're doing to raise awareness and write about this topic.
Same to you.Thank you guys so much.This has been so much fun.
That's wonderful.And you've been listening to The Connected Table Live with Melanie Young and David Ransom.We hope that you have found this interesting and helpful.
And, you know, we always like to say, while they say sober curious, we like to say stay insatiably curious.Keep your minds open, keep your palates open, and We hope that you'll share this show and follow us on The Connected Table.Thank you very much.
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