A chat with sommelier Arden Allen
I sat down to talk with Arden Allen, sommelier and server at Cobalt Grille in Virginia Beach, on April 10. It was my birthday. Turns out it was also Allen’s “birthing day,” the day she delivered her daughter, Madison, 24 years ago. And Allen’s father was also born on this day, 73 years ago.
So when she offered to open a bottle of her favorite wine to share, Evesham Wood Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley, I said of course. Clearly we had a lot to celebrate.
Your name is very beautiful and unusual. Where did it come from? My grandfather on my mother’s side. His name was Arden Earl and my name is Arden Marie. My family and friends call me Ardie. I’m not a huge fan, but it is endearing.
And where did you come from? I was born in Woodstock, Virginia, in the Shenandoah Valley. I moved to Virginia Beach when I was 4 and then back to Shenandoah at 16 to graduate from high school there. When I was ready to go to college, I moved back to Virginia Beach, where my mom and stepdad were, so they could help with Madison, who was 18 months old. I went to ODU to get a degree in French. I’ve always been very passionate about the language.
What got you into wine? My sister, Christy, was a waiter at Le Chambord in Virginia Beach. It was a fine dining restaurant and is no longer open. But that’s where I met Chef Alvin Williams and Frank Spapen. I have to give them all the credit.
I was only 19 and very green when I started at Le Chambord. The kitchen ribbed me no end about the way I pronounced “portobello.” I had taken a lot of Spanish, where ll’s are pronounced like y’s, so it sounded like “portobeyo.”
Once I was old enough to drink, Alvin took me under his wing and started to teach me. My first favorite wine was Stags’ Leap Petite Sirah, and that’s a huge wine to love as a novice drinker.
I’ve been working with Alvin for 23 years total, 20 years here at Cobalt this October. I had been running the wine program at Cobalt for about 12 years as a non-somm when Alvin and Gary Black, the coowners, encouraged me to get my Level 1 Sommelier certification. I chose to go to class in Santa Cruz, California — I mean, why not, right? I passed with flying colors. That was four summers ago.
I was resistant to taking the test for so long because I am passionate about the casual nature of wine. It’s fun, it’s super organic and I didn’t want to take it too seriously. I’ve always just wanted to talk about wine, pour wine and enjoy it. I was the go-to at Cobalt for anything about wine. The customers trusted my palate and my recommendations even before I became a somm because they knew my passion for wine, but the certificate is another notch in my belt.
How do you help folks choose a wine? I ask questions. What have you selected to eat? Would you like a medium- or fullbodied wine? Do you like oak or butter? Next, I am blunt and ask what price range they would like. I just get that right out there in the open. I find people are very receptive to the ballpark question. I have a wide range of wines that are amenable to all price ranges. I have expensive and wonderful wines and I have value-based wines that taste great.
Arden’s life since the pandemic? Actually, you were here the day the governor announced we would no longer be able to serve table-side. You saw me cry. I didn’t know what it was going to mean for me, for the restaurant. I was very afraid for myself and the rest of the staff, who are all very close.
Now there are only two servers — we alternate days — and one hostess, to answer the phones, take orders, put on a mask and gloves, and deliver out to cars waiting for curbside pickup. We are open six days a week and I’m working three. Most of the other staff declined to work for fear of their own safety, for not wanting to be exposed to the general public.
Our busiest night is Tuesdays for half-off burger night. We used to not offer the half off if you took it to-go, but we do now. People have been really generous. A lot have been tip-matching, or tipping the full amount of the bill. One of our customers had food delivered to his house and tipped enough to cover everyone still working at the restaurant.
Where do you find your strength these days? Cobalt has always been my lifeline. The love and care of my restaurant family has gotten me through tough times. I still have a job. I show up for work. I am doing a good job so I can keep my job. I saw a friend of mine at the grocery store the other day and we started to run to hug each other and had to stop 6 feet apart. I can’t wait to hug my friends again.
Waiting tables is an admirable profession. It’s great. It’s fun. I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up, but I don’t picture myself behind a desk. And I don’t picture myself not in the restaurant industry. We are all dying to get back to work, see people, to hug our friends and customers again. I don’t know what the restaurant industry will look like when we all get back to work, but I feel like people will gravitate to smaller, mom-and-pop, one-shot restaurants like us.
What are your interests outside work? My two Boston Terriers. Noel is a 4-year-old red and white Boston Terrier and Dottie Rose is a 3-year-old classic black and white. I didn’t have my first dog as an adult until 2012. I’m a big fan of Boston Terriers.
I like working out, I love to read, mostly fiction. I just started “Where the Crawdads Sing.” I love to travel. I’ve had the opportunity to visit France, Bordeaux and Canada to study French. I’ve traveled to Mexico and studied Qoya dance in Costa Rica at a private yogi resort. I got my certification to teach it. It’s empowering and you can’t do it wrong.
Something very few people know about you? I played the flute in elementary school all the way through 10th grade. I still have that flute, but it’s dusty and in need of repair. I love podcasts like “My Favorite Murder.” It’s a comedy podcast about real murder. They take something very serious and turn it into something hilarious.
What is your wine philosophy? Drink what you love, love what you drink.
Open 4-8:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays for curbside pickup. Call 757333-3334 between 3-7 p.m. to order and arrange your pickup time for between 4-8 p.m. You can pick up in the lounge or at curbside. Wine discounts start at 50% off. Wines featured with meal deals are even lower. Check Cobalt Grille’s Facebook page for family and daily meal specials.