Ryan O’Janpa, formerly of PinPoint, recently joined the culinary team at The Fortunate Glass.
 
Seeking an opportunity for greater creative collaboration, O’Janpa joins Gaeten Lowrie, a self-taught baker who has been with The Fortunate Glass for the past two years.
 
This is not the first time the two have worked together. The team also worked side by side just down the street to open the former 9 Bakery and Lounge. Lowrie created all of the restaurant's breads and doughnuts, while O’Janpa led the kitchen with Steve Harrington of Steviemack’s International Food Co.
 
At The Fortunate Glass, the pair's focus will be to create dishes to complement The Fortunate Glass’s extensive wine offerings. With 70 wines by the glass and nearly 400 by the bottle, the focus here is on the wine.
 
“It’s important that the food doesn’t overpower the wine,” owner Celeste Glass said. “It is meant to be an accompaniment.”
 
In the true spirit of collaboration, Glass and the entire bartending staff critique all new dishes and feedback is used to tweak and refine each dish. Wine is often used in the preparation of dishes and weekly food and wine specials are designed to complement one another.
 
“One of the huge benefits to working here is the ability to gain knowledge of the wine industry and to have input from the rest of the staff on wine and food pairings,” O’Janpa said.
 
While there are several standing dishes on the menu, including cured meet and cheese plates, truffled mushroom pizza and duck sliders, weekly small plate specials often include a soup, a flatbread, a risotto or pasta and dessert. The weekly menus are inspired by local, seasonal fare.
 
“We have a small kitchen here, so we often create recipes that can be used in many different applications,” Lowrie said.
 
Both Lowrie and O’Janpa have backgrounds in art and another area in which they look forward to collaborating is the plating of their dishes. Both say they view plating as an art, focusing on how color, balance, texture and contrast make a dish visually appealing.
 
The Fortunate Glass is located at 29 S. Front St. and offers free wine tastings each Tuesday 6-8 p.m. A wine and cupcake pairing featuring Coastal Cupcakes will take place May 18, and a Spanish Wine and Tapas pairing is scheduled for June 8. Reservations are required for both events. Click here for more information. 
 
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