Editor: For
further information regarding this press release, please contact Marika Rose
at 916.601-9737, amcr@comcast.net.
NEWS RELEASE
Firehouse
Wine Buyer Celebrates 30 Years at Restaurant
Former Busboy Moved
Through the Ranks, Inspired by his Love of People, Fine Wine!
SACRAMENTO, CA (July 27, 2001) -- In 1971,
when Mario Ortiz was a 16-year-old Luther Burbank high school student, he
applied for a part-time job as a busboy at Old Sacramento’s Firehouse
restaurant. He couldn’t have imagined
then that 30 years later he’d have moved through the ranks at the venerable
restaurant, taking on new jobs as the years went by, eventually becoming the
restaurant’s wine buyer and special events director.
“Over
the years I’ve had just about every job at The Firehouse you can think of,”
Mario says. “Today I’m able to
concentrate on what I love most: making sure people’s special events are
memorable occasions, with great food paired with the best wine.”
Born in
Morelia, Mexico, Mario grew up in Sacramento with four sisters and four
brothers. In the early ‘80s, after
working at The Firehouse for more than a decade, he began to develop a keen
interest in wine parings; he visited local wineries to learn as much as
possible, and met with the area's top winemakers, including Robert Mondavi and August Sebastiani. At The Firehouse, he began to gravitate
toward putting on private parties, banquets and other special events.
Today
Mario has developed the Sacramento Valley’s most impressive wine cellar—The
Firehouse’s wine cellar contains more than 600 selections and 11,000 bottles
of wine—and is recognized as one of the area’s most respected wine
experts. A reception celebrating his
30 years of service at the restaurant will be held for business associates, friends
and family at The Firehouse Tuesday, July 31.
“Mario
is responsible for that extra-special touch that allows thousands of people
to enjoy incredible events at The Firehouse,” says Firehouse owner Lloyd
Harvego. “He’s been instrumental in
The Firehouse’s recent renovations and in our renewed commitment to
excellence.”
The
Firehouse has long been a popular destination for out-of-town visitors,
including celebrities and political figures.
Over the past 30 years Mario has had the opportunity to meet every California governor
starting with Ronald Reagan, movie stars including Clint Eastwood, and sports
heroes such as Mohammed Ali and Michael Jordan.
One
afternoon Mario met someone at The Firehouse that would change his life.
“I saw
a beautiful woman in The Firehouse courtyard.
I told a couple people on the banquet staff, ‘I’d like to marry that
lady, but I need to meet her first,’” Mario explains. “Well, I met her, and now we’ve been
happily married for 14 years!”
Mario
and his wife, Sue, have a 7-year-old daughter, Kate. Mario says each time he’s at one of the
weddings he helps put on for the restaurant he thinks about the day his
little girl will walk down the aisle.
“I
always get teary-eyed—I picture us having her wedding here someday, and
walking her down the aisle.”
Weddings
are among the most common among the special events that Mario supervises at
the restaurant. He estimates The
Firehouse hosts about 30 a year, and he’s got story after story about the
blessed events—from the family whose three daughters each were married in The
Firehouse courtyard, to the gentleman whose new bride didn’t know he’d been
married before—also in the Firehouse courtyard!
In
addition to his family, great food, fine wine and the Firehouse, Mario has a
passion for soccer. He’s a striker on Sacramento’s
British-American team. His love of
soccer is so great, in fact, that he doesn’t like to miss a game. One evening a very formal wedding was being
held in The Firehouse courtyard. After
the wedding, guests adjourned to the Firehouse’s Golden Eagle room for
cocktails, and waited for restaurant staff to put together the courtyard for
the reception. Mario quickly sneaked
out to play in a finals soccer game.
His staff is so well trained, he says, that when he came back to the
reception, dressed and ready to go, they immediately handed him a glass of
champagne so he could toast the happy couple—without missing a beat.
Over the past 30 years, Mario
has met and spoken with many important political figures that have frequented
The Firehouse. In the early ’80s
then-Vice President Mondale was scheduled for a visit to the restaurant. The Secret Service came a couple days ahead
of time, and put red stickers on things around the restaurant that could be
opened—including the restaurant’s silverware chest. Mario says the restaurant staff was
specifically told not to open anything with a red sticker.
“We
were afraid of what the Secret Service would say, but we ultimately decided
to open our silverware chest—breaking the sticker’s seal,” Mario explains. “The Secret Service was angry, but our
customers needed to eat!”
Mario
has always spent time at the state capitol meeting and talking to legislators
and staff, including Jerry Brown, who frequented The Firehouse when he was
governor. Mario says he has always
been interested in politics and how politicians work. However, a change in careers isn’t likely
for him anytime soon.
“I love
what I do,” Mario says. “Good thing
there aren’t term limits on my job!”
About The Firehouse
The splendid ambiance of The
Firehouse is enhanced by its reputation for excellence in food, wine, and
hospitality. It has received continued recognition over the years, including
several recent awards. Sacramento
Magazine readers recently rated The Firehouse "Best Old Favorite Restaurant." Sacramento Bee readers chose The Firehouse
for "Best Service in a Restaurant." And fellow restaurant members
of the California Restaurant Association have honored The Firehouse with a "Five
Star" award in each of the last three years. Nationally, The Firehouse is recognized by
Wine Spectator magazine as having one of the best wine lists in America and
featured in the top 20% of the Best 500 Independent Restaurants in the
country by Restaurant Hospitality Magazine.
The
Firehouse is located in Old Sacramento at 1112 Second St.
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