Tom Pepper at Willow Creek Winery & Farm
Photos and story by Grace Galbreath
Our first bartender of the week is Tom Pepper, from Willow Creek Winery & Farm! Born and raised in Cape May, Tom has been working at Willow Creek for the past year.
Tom first started working in the restaurant business around age 18 and has been working various jobs in the industry ever since. He started at Willow Creek as a server, and worked his way up to bartending. Tom said, “I actually hadn’t had any bartending experience before working here. I started as a server at a couple different places. It makes it a lot easier to know the wines here if you bartend, so I trained bartending and would do a couple shifts. Now I’m back and forth between bartending and serving. It definitely helps, because if you know how to make a good dole whip, they are easier to sell.”
Although Tom is relatively new to the Willow Creek family, the winery itself opened in 2013. The 50-acre property has remained farmland for the last 200 years, and it now boasts 13 different varieties of grapes. The business first started small, offering limited wine tastings, and it has now expanded to provide a large food and drink menu.
Tom says his favorite thing about Willow Creek is the customers that visit each day. He said, “Definitely the people, the guests, the customers. Just getting to interact with them. Especially in a place like Willow Creek. It is lot more lighthearted. You get to have fun, joke around with the guests, things like that. Everyone gets to be outside. It is a beautiful atmosphere.”
Off the clock, Tom likes to relax and spend time outside. “In the summertime it is usually five to six days a week here, whipping up dole whips and helping people out. So, on my days off, it’s just chilling by the pool or going to the beach,” said Tom.
When asked to name Willow Creek Winery’s signature drink, Tom did not hesitate! “Dole whip sangria. Absolutely. You’ve got to get at least one of them! If you are coming to Willow Creek, you have to get a dole whip sangria,” said Tom.
One of Willow Creek’s most popular drinks, the dole whip sangria is an ever-changing combination consisting of a flavor of dole whip paired with a corresponding type of sangria. This week’s combination consisted of pineapple-cherry dole whip and guava sour stop sangria. Perfectly refreshing, a dole whip sangria is a great drink for a hot summer day!
If you are looking for a place to spend the day drinking, eating, listening to live music, or exploring the outdoors, come visit Tom at Willow Creek Winery & Farm! Stop by from 12 to 8 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday, or from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Don’t forget to ask for a dole whip sangria!