Francine Cohen wasn’t a well known bartender, celebrity chef, restaurateur, or high profile brand entrepreneur. Instead she did most of her work behind the scenes, helping hospitality professionals make connections and find meaningful solutions to logistical challenges. Maybe you are only reading her name for the first time now, but chances are, in some capacity, you have benefited from what she accomplished.
For my book “New York Cocktails,” published in 2017, I included Francine (born and raised in the Washington, D.C. area but an Upper West Sider since the 1990s) as one of the most influential figures on the scene. “She has a knack for knowing exactly what to say to help them all communicate and learn from one another,” I wrote of her ability to connect bartenders, chefs, consultants, publicity teams, spirits brands, media, and the rest.
When prompted to speak about the modern cocktail scene in New York for her spotlight section in the book, she said, “When cocktails rose up on the coasts, it gave guests something new to try and gave related businesses — farmers, distillers, winemakers, etc. — a place to raise their profile. This in turn helped bartenders get the tools and assets they needed to explore their passion.”
That quote is so typical Francine. She always had a big picture outlook. If she was consulting on a brand or writing an article, she was always thinking about how that client or assignment could help nourish the entire ecosystem.
As the founder of Inside F&B, one of the first hospitality-focused online magazines in the early 2000s and more recently, as a main contributor to totalfood.com, Francine wrote think pieces about how to support independent brands, streamline bar service, update bar technology (such as draft systems), highlight lesser known food and drink destinations, learn about sustainable brands, introduce up-and-coming individuals in the industry, and so much more. As a friend pointed out, she provided a service.
She wrote for dozens of other platforms (including this one). Sometimes she wrote several articles in a week. She could write quickly because she always seemed to know what to say.
Going through old texts, I found one from only a couple of weeks ago where she told me about writing one of the first wine articles ever published in Better Homes & Garden. She wasn’t tooting her own horn, rather, she was pointing out that the byline she fought for gave a voice to that subject in the mainstream. So if you currently write for a major consumer publication about drinks, or are a spirits or wine brand featured in one, or simply benefitted at some point from booze news you can use, you have people like Francine Cohen to thank for contributing that topic to lifestyle media coverage.
If you’ve ever noticed a Pisco Sour featured on a fine dining cocktail menu in the past decade or so, you probably have Francine to thank for that too. For several years she worked for the Peruvian cultural council promoting their national exports, particularly Pisco, but also products like quinoa and Inka corn chips. This was the most high profile example, but she worked behind the scenes with dozens of food and beverage entities to help tell their story.
Have you ever been “Holidayed”? Blame it on Francine, because she introduced Barbara Sibley to Michael and Danny Neff, who joined forces to revive beloved East Village bar institution Holiday Cocktail Lounge, and make it live up to its name.
She was one of the greatest “I know a guy” people there ever was, and she always used that talent for the greater good.
Some people spend all year planning a holiday party or a wedding. She spent most of hers planning the annual City Meals On Wheels charity festival in Rockefeller Center, coordinating some of the biggest names in the restaurant, bar, and wine industries to serve donors with deep pockets. In addition, she volunteered countless hours of her time for Taste of the Nation (No Kid Hungry), One City Café, numerous Jewish causes, and other charities. She was also a board member of Les Dames d’Escoffier promoting women in hospitality. In 2014, she was rightfully inducted into Tales of the Cocktail’s Dame Hall of Fame (now called Catalyst).
She left us on December 4 at the age of 58 because of a sudden health issue. We were supposed to have our annual three-hour-plus mid December lunch on the 13th (we met for other lunches throughout the year, but this one was always a given). Instead I toasted to her life — at Keens with four other people in the industry who I might not have met without her. We ordered fries with Bearnaise sauce, which was a tradition she had with one of the group; we all had our personal Francine rituals it seems.
My heart goes out to her husband, Jacob Kessler, her mother, sister, her friends from near and far, and everyone in hospitality who knew and loved her… and those who never got a chance to meet her. We should all be so lucky to have a Francine in our lives.
In her honor, let’s raise a Pisco Sour (or a dirty Martini, or glass of Lambrusco, or an espresso) to Francine Cohen, a very great dame. I know she would love that.
The article In Memory of Francine Cohen, an Industry Connector Who Made Big Things Happen appeared first on VinePair.