Kirsty Tinkler

Kirsty Tinkler owns and runs Weino BIB in Dalston, and lives in North London. Weino BIB is a natural wine shop, deli, bar and taproom which started business in 2015. They are leaders in the industry for their pioneering work selling natural bag-in-box wines, and focus on improving sustainability without compromising on quality. They work with small farmers and producers who ‘tread lightly on the earth’. Kirsty runs Weino BIB with her partner in crime Zee and a small team of staff.

Kirsty is also an artist specialising in sculpture. She has worked in hospitality for over 30 years. She speaks to QFAB about the stark difference between hospitality work in Sydney and London, realising she loved the industry she’d spent years trying to get out of, and what’s next for her growing business. 

Introduce yourself

I am Kirsty. I use she/her pronouns. I am a queer lesbian. I feel very strongly about my queerness. It is a term that parts of the community tried to stamp out years ago, but I’m really glad to still have it to identify with. Being queer to me is being a bit bent, alternative, not interested in playing it safe, accepting everything about myself and everyone else and celebrating that difference.  I’m currently in East London, and I’ve lived in London for 17 years now. I have also lived and worked in Sydney, and as an artist I've lived in New York a little bit as well. I am a shop owner and the director of my little company, Weino BIB. I've worked in hospitality for over 30 years, previously in restaurants. 

“I got into the industry just because you sort of do when you leave school. I had times when I tried to get out and it just never worked. Then I actually realised I really love it. ”

What does your average day look like?

It varies a lot now but when I first opened the shop it was like 70-80 hour weeks every week. I was just always here every minute the shop was open. I have a bit more luxury now. Waking up in the morning is a bit of a slow adventure for me, maybe a bit of yoga. Then I have particular times in the week when I'm always here, like for staff meetings and making sure things happen. And when it's really busy I'd like to be here. 

There are a lot of regular customers, but COVID has changed everything. I think it was just the end of last year when I started to actually take the foot off myself being at the shop all the time. I was paying myself three pounds an hour in the first year. And then, you know, then business built up and I didn't have to be here so much. 

So like today it's Tuesday so I'm coming in to do the ordering. Then tomorrow I'm going to walk some dogs. Recently I have been part furloughed so it's the first time I have had a big break and it's been amazing, I’m hoping don’t get too used to it!

How did you get to where you are today?

I was a runner in a restaurant at 18 years old and then became a waiter and then a host. I was a maitre d, managing restaurants for a long time. I had an art career as well, so I got myself into this position where I was managing restaurants and then I could still go to my studio and make work. Then, I don't know, I just started to get a bit bitter about the art world. 

I was lucky enough to suddenly have financial ability to do something. I did a pop up selling bag-in-box wine in Dalston, and the Evening Standard were coming down and taking photos and it all just went a bit mental. I haven't really looked back since then. 

I got into the industry just because you sort of do when you leave school. I had times when I tried to get out and it just never worked. Then I actually realised I really love it. 

I think what I found hard is in Sydney, it's actually seen as a really good job. But here [in the UK] you were treated pretty poorly as floor staff and managing staff, and the pay was horrendous compared to Australia. So I did try and get out of it for a while because I just didn't like that feeling. But now, luckily the industry here has caught up. You can have a sense of pride about it again.

What was your earliest experience in this industry?

When I was 18 I was a runner, so I would be polishing buckets and buckets of cutlery and running. It was a massive 200+ seater restaurant, literally right on the harbour in Sydney, and it was a glorified fish and chip shop. You just ran all day with a really horrible uniform on. But it was like it was expensive fish and chips with the best view right on the water.

Did you expect to stay in the industry when you started out?

No. Well I actually first off did a graphic design course and then bombed out of that. Then I came out, moved to London in 1991, and I had a lot of fun! (Laughs) I worked first in a Gay Co-op cafe on St Giles High street near Tottenham Court and it was a real hub. Jimmy Somerville (of Bronsky Beat and The Commanauds) used to come in and sit at the staff table. I was just going out partying and having far too much fun!

What has been your experience of being queer in this industry?

Becoming a boy I think - like you sort of align yourself with the blokes and you check out chicks with the blokes. When I was younger you always used to have to come in under the radar, you'd never let anyone know. And then you slowly out yourself to a few people and then you would be fine, but it was always a little bit tentative.

What are the best and worst things about this industry?

Worst thing… drinking addiction, no I’m kidding! The best thing is the people, you know, and being people facing and dealing with people and being around people. I think it's community. Actually even more so opening a shop, I'm really shocked people come every day for eggs and bread and things like this and it is stunning. I think that's the best thing about the industry. 

Worst thing I suppose has to be the hours and the unsociability of the hours. But then also where would you be without that drink with everyone at 12 o'clock at night that maybe goes on until six…

What is the best meal you've ever had? Where was it? What was it? Who was it with?

I was in Hong Kong with my then girlfriend. It was called The Yellow Door, and you had to go into an apartment building in Kowloon and go to the floor and find the yellow door. And then you knocked on the door and, instead of an apartment, it was a little mini restaurant with a degustation menu. It was something like 13 courses, but the first four were just little dishes of things. And I was actually vegetarian at the time, but I ate everything! I didn't know what else to do. It was just the whole experience of going on an adventure and the food was sublime. Then to finish the night there was the blue door downstairs exactly below and it was the chef's dad who had a jazz club, and there was live jazz. It was like a New York style little bar in the middle of a tower block. It was pretty good!

What is your guilty food pleasure?

I have to admit to you, I think after years of going to restaurants I actually don't enjoy going to big fancy restaurants that much, I find it feels like work. I just sit watching what the staff are all doing. 

I do have a Fillet of fish every now and again! But I suppose something when I was managing restaurants 10 o’clock every night I would grab a beer, go out the back and neck it, go back in and everything is right with the world. That was a little guilty pleasure, I could smile at everyone.

“The best thing is the people, you know, and being people facing and dealing with people and being around people. I think it’s community.”

Do you feel it's important for the LGBTQI+ community within the food and beverage industry to have a network, and if so, why?

We are big and we should be more outwardly facing, because we are here and we’re queer and we’re not going shopping! 

There’s the whole thing about bad behaviour, there are toxic environments that can happen within kitchens and floors. Here we are getting into the bad things, but it is mainly heterosexual male behaviour, I’m going to say it! I’m going to out that! 

I think it would be nice for people to feel supported and also to highlight people and businesses who are more accepting, so that people know where they can be supported in workplaces. We need safe spaces, we need to know where we're safe and that goes right down to where people want to go out to where they can feel safe. So that's why I think it's important.

Favourite banger to listen to at work?

I'm an old 80’s slut I had Human league’s first album Dare on this morning full volume while I was doing yoga. I like things with a bit of upness. On a Sunday, it has to be something like Bing Crosby, Dean Martin or maybe a little bit of Nat King Cole. 

What are your top queer (food and beverage related) accounts you follow?

• Terri Mercieca @terri_mercieca, Chocolatier, Dessert Chef and Creator of Happy Endings
  

• Happy Endings @happyendingsldn, Home of dreamy ice cream sandwiches, luxury soft serve, and Sundae School

• Otros Vinos @otrosvinos, wine importer and online shop focused on wine by small artisan growers, made without chemicals and with little or no added sulphites

“ I feel very strongly about my queerness. It is a term that parts of the community tried to stamp out years ago, but I’m really glad to still have it to identify with. Being queer to me is being a bit bent, alternative, not interested in playing it safe, accepting everything about myself and everyone else and celebrating that difference.”

Top places to eat and drink?
Xian Impression near Holloway Road has got to be one of the top. It’s a tiny Chinese restaurant near where I live which seats 10 people. 

And Little Duck (@littleduckpicklery) on Dalston Lane. I think because they're nice and they’re friends. I like going down there and sitting up at the counter, just because we are all family round here, we all get on and know each other very well. 

 What is next for you, have you got any new projects coming up?

Well we can’t say can we? We can’t spill any beans, all those things are top secret, because they might not happen! (Laughing) So there's a few things, the first thing we're doing is start becoming an importer, and we recently got our importing licence. So we're working alongside wine makers to put things into more sustainable packaging. We are opening our own brand in pouch wine. We've got like a pallet of wine from a winemaker on the way at the moment. So we need to look at expanding spatially for that, so that's where some other things might come into play. It’s very exciting!

You can find Kirsty and Weino BIB on Instagram @WeinoBIB and @weino_imports in the Dalston shop or buy online at www.weinobib.co.uk