Somm 2023: Curating The Best Culinary & Hospitality Experiences!

In the fast-paced world of dining and hospitality, where choices abound and culinary experiences are constantly evolving, having a trusted guide can make all the difference. Imagine having a personal concierge at your fingertips, ready to curate the most extraordinary dining adventures and secure exclusive reservations at the hottest spots in town. Well, look no further, because Jennifer Tremblay, the visionary Founder & CEO of Somm & DINR, has made this culinary dream a reality. With her passion for gastronomy and unwavering commitment to providing unparalleled hospitality experiences, Jennifer has carved out a unique niche in the industry, earning her reputation as the curator of the best culinary and hospitality experiences. Join Delivery Rank as we delve into Jennifer's journey and discover how Somm & DINR is transforming the way we savor the world of food and drink.

Could you share the story behind the creation of Somm and your journey from its inception to becoming a platform for curating exceptional culinary and hospitality experiences?

Somm was originally created as a passion project during summer 2020 - the first covid summer. My thinking at the time was to give everyone a way to elevate their in-home culinary experiences. We created a really simple food/wine pairing engine that was more accessible than some of the other platforms and then we started working with sommeliers (including a Master Sommelier!) that would be able to do virtual tastings. That then led to the creation of a wine club (and now a non-alc beverage club too). As the pandemic went on, we kept our ears to the ground and listened to what our partners were telling us. It all boiled down to the fact that the guest experience was going to matter more than ever before. So, we pivoted our roadmap and evolved to be much more experiential - unlocking great on-premise experiences at our restaurant, hotel and winery partners. At this point, our vision really started to take shape and the notion of creating "the most trusted platform for culinary and hospitality experiences, events and reservations" took off. We acquired DINR to complete the reservation aspect of our vision, and now we're off to the races! 

How does Somm approach the curation of exclusive culinary experiences and reservations to provide a unique and personalized service to your clients?

We are a tech company so our clients are both our users and our partners. By working exclusively with the best hospitality partners we naturally attract a more discerning consumer audience. Our relationships with our partners allow us to work with them on special experiences, events etc, and our reservation app is a perfect complement to their existing table management software. 

Personalization is a key aspect of your service. How do you tailor recommendations to individual preferences, ensuring a memorable and delightful experience for each client?

We are now at a point where personalization is becoming more and more important in our roadmap. It's ultimately a data science and analytics exercise. In some respects, we also remain personally available for our users, so in some ways there's a more traditional white-glove / concierge aspect to our business as well. 

Could you share examples of particularly unique or remarkable culinary experiences that Somm has facilitated for clients, showcasing the depth of your service offerings?

Tonnes! An example though... About a month ago one of our restaurant partners, The Hamptons, chose us to be their ticketing and marketing / distribution agent, for an absolutely incredible caviar dinner with Axyon and Le Grappes. Caviar - including the world's most iconic caviar house - and oysters from France were flown in the weekend prior from Paris, specially for us. It was a terrace dinner, invite only for our users and community, multi-course dinner with incredible wine pairings - the winemaker was even in town from France as well. Guests had the opportunity to casually mingle and speak with the Chef, winemaker, the caviar team, and make new friends with other guests. It was really special. 

As the Founder and CEO of Somm, what lessons have you learned about creating unforgettable experiences in the culinary and hospitality space, and how do you see the future of curated experiences evolving? 

Curation is everything. There's so much noise on all the major platforms. I'm really excited to bring DINR (the brand we're leading with) across Canada and the globe as the trusted destination to discover, book and enjoy the very best of the culinary and hospitality world. For the consumer, we bring the best of OpenTable, Resy, Tock etc., into one beautifully designed app.

If you would like to find out more about Somm, visit https://www.somm.io/