Meet the Women Now Leading FS Food Group’s Beverage Program

FS Food Group, the hospitality brand behind Charlotte restaurant favorites Calle Sol, Mama Ricotta's, Midwood Smokehouse, Little Mama's, Paco's Tacos & Tequila and YAFO Kitchen, recently announced two key promotions within its beverage leadership team, naming Mary Wilson as Beverage Director and Evelin Elsner as Assistant Beverage Director.

The promotions mark a first for FS Food Group, with two women now leading the company's beverage department.

Frank Scibelli, founder of FS Food Group, expressed his enthusiasm alongside the announcement.

“We are excited to officially add Mary to our team of directors and to welcome Evelin to the beverage leadership team,” Frank said. “Both bring a passion for hospitality, deep knowledge of wine and spirits, and a commitment to creating memorable guest experiences that I'm confident will push our beverage offerings even further.”

For Mary, the promotion represents the realization of something she once considered a dream job.

“For a long time, I felt a little lost in the world of hospitality,” Mary said. “I always knew this was the industry I wanted to be in; I love creating experiences, seeing people happy, and sharing that sense of magic with our guests, but it took me some time to truly find my place within it.”

She credits FS Food Group with helping her find that place, giving her room to grow both personally and professionally while discovering her passion for beverage.

Mary brings more than a decade of hospitality and beverage leadership experience to the role, including positions at restaurants in Charlottesville, Virginia, and Reid's Fine Foods in Charlotte. A sommelier currently pursuing the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Level 4 Diploma in Wines, Mary leads beverage education across the company and develops seasonal wine and cocktail lists. She also works directly with guests in the dining room as a sommelier.

Evelin's path to beverage leadership has been decidedly different. Before entering hospitality later in life, she spent years working in finance.

“I never expected my passion and love for hosting to land me a job curated for my talents,” Evelin said. “I've worked my way through different roles, learned the business from the ground up, and had the opportunity to grow alongside some incredible teams.”

That journey has included nearly every front-of-house position, from working at a neighborhood Irish pub to a high-volume Cuban restaurant in New York City. After relocating to Charlotte with her family in 2021, Evelin joined Little Mama's Italian as a bartender and steadily expanded her role within FS Food Group.

“Being promoted into a leadership role within the beverage program feels like an exciting next chapter, and one that I'm incredibly proud of,” Evelin said.

As Assistant Beverage Director, Evelin now oversees beverage operations for the company's Italian concepts, focusing on developing thoughtful beverage programs and seasonal cocktails, managing inventory and costs, maintaining quality and consistency, and training and supporting her teams.

What's Next for the Beverage Program

While Mary and Evelin arrived at their new roles by different paths, both see the people behind FS Food Group's restaurants as an important part of where its beverage program goes next.

“I hope to create a beverage program that people connect with, one that feels exciting and unique, but never unapproachable,” Mary said. “I want our guests to discover something they may not have tried before, while still finding that sense of familiarity that keeps them coming back.”

That focus also extends to the employees serving those drinks. Mary hopes to continue coaching and educating team members so they feel confident sharing their beverage knowledge with guests, while Evelin also plans to put the people behind FS Food Group's restaurants at the center of her leadership approach.

“I believe in investing in our team,” Evelin said. “My goal is to lead with a combination of consistency, creativity, and accountability.”

For guests, that approach could translate into plenty of opportunities to try something new. Mary envisions a program where diners might encounter an unfamiliar wine, discover a spirit with an interesting story or order a cocktail that offers something unexpected without becoming intimidating.

The group also plans to continue creating beverage experiences outside of a typical night out, including bourbon dinners, wine tastings, cocktail classes and special events. Evelin points to experiences such as Bourbon Bites at Midwood Smokehouse and Cocktails and Ceviche at Calle Sol as examples of how each restaurant can build a beverage identity of its own.

“I think we have the opportunity to build a beverage program for each of our restaurants that is reflective of each concept but still approachable and inviting,” Evelin said.

With their new roles, Mary and Evelin are looking to make the beverage experience an increasingly important part of dining at FS Food Group.

“Our goal is for the beverage program to be more than something that accompanies the meal,” Evelin said. “It should be part of the reason guests come back.”