Tableside Talks: Christine Gibson of The Winsor House at Island Creek Farm
Our next spotlight is on Christine Gibson, the driven GM of The Winsor House at Island Creek Oyster Farm.
Growing up in Syracuse, Christine’s culinary passion was ignited by weekend cooking sessions with her dad. She honed her skills at the Culinary Institute of America, even doing an externship at a Relais & Chateau hotel in England.
In 2014 she made the jump to front of house taking on a role leading acclaimed restaurant Iron Gate in DC, where she earned a Rammy nomination for Manager of the Year in 2017. Christine then made her way to Boston, first joining the team at Waypoint and then taking on the role of General Manager at Longfellow Bar. But an oyster class by Bill Weiss sparked her newfound love of oysters.
She joined Island Creek Oyster Farm, immersing herself in their operations from the food truck to the Caviar Room. In 2021, she became AGM of the Raw Bar while planning the opening of the Winsor House, where she now leads as General Manager.
When not overseeing operations, Christine mentors as a Big Sister, studies Gastronomy at Boston University, and enjoys hobbies like volleyball and reading fantasy.
Welcome in, Christine!
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Cassie Francisco (Tableside): What's the most challenging thing about leading in hospitality?
Christine Gibson: Leading in hospitality has been constantly changing over the years, with humans changing and COVID-19. Restaurants have at this point been consistently pivoting. So, I think the challenge is to find a happy medium–finding ways to motivate people and have them invest in you, while trying to find ways to be a successful business. Finding this happy medium of finding ways to motivate people, having them invest in you while you're investing in them is one challenge, while also trying to find ways to be a successful business.
Cassie: I’m hearing you talk about the people side and the business side and how important both of those things are, but how they can both present their own challenges. How has learning and development impacted your leadership and hospitality?
Christine: For me learning about my own ways of managing has changed the way I approach managing everyone. We have a younger generation of people who are looking to see how you're going to invest in them before they invest in you. I always try to find ways to show people that I care about them, while also giving them reasons to want to care about us and the mission we are trying to push at our restaurant. Learning how I do that has changed how I approach every single person. Each person is different, and recognizing the changes of each human allows me to adjust how I manage each person. With so many different personalities and so many different experiences, it’s both a fun task and also a hard one. But it has been a constant development over the years for me.
Cassie: What you’re calling out is that because teams are made up of so many different people, learning and development has to happen constantly and over and over again as new people come on board and the industry changes.
Christine: Absolutely. The people are changing constantly, and what they care about is changing constantly. Finding a way to continue to push that development for everyone and pushing my own development in regards to the constant pivot and the constant adjustment is fun, but it's definitely a day-to-day thing for me.
Cassie: What are tips for staying motivated even when you’re in the weeds?
Christine: Remembering that it's all about the experience. And we're all there, theoretically, yes, of course, to make money in some capacity. But we're also there to have fun and to learn. And the guests that come to you are also there to have fun and to learn. Remembering that at the basis of it, we are serving food that we are proud of in a place that we are proud of, and remembering that it's going to get done and we are going to do it together. I am one person with a giant team of humans. Remembering that also helps keep me motivated because it’s not just me who is pushing through the weeds. It’s all of us. We are all working towards the same goal and wanting the same things in regards to learning and wanting to create a beautiful experience. Being able to have those same goals makes the weeds feel not that high.
Cassie: Last but not least, you have one condiment in your fridge, what is it?
Christine: The product name is Belazu Rose Harissa Paste. It is this rose harissa paste that's floral, spicy, peppery, and I put it on everything; any vegetable, any scrambled eggs. They're the best on scrambled eggs. I just, I love it. It goes on everything.
Cassie: Thank you so much, Christine, for joining us on Tableside Talks and sharing some of your insights into hospitality leadership.
