Jen Ziskin.

I am a Restaurant Owner/Wine Director.

Less than 1 year.

I was born and raised in Plymouth, MA.

I was initiated into the restaurant business when I was 15 years old as a means to making money through high school and college. I worked all aspects of the front of the house from bussing tables, cocktail server, server to bartender. When I graduated college, I was looking for a job as a server. The restaurant I applied to did not need a server but noticed I had restaurant experience. They offered me a job as assistant manager. Soon I became the general manager only 3 months into the position because the general manager had a breakdown. This was an extremely challenging position for someone without management experience. I continued with the restaurant group and moved to their Cambridge location where I became an Events and Marketing Manager, later moving to Maison Robert to assist their with weddings and events. I then decided to change careers after a few years and enrolled in Lesley University's teaching program for my masters. While there I always worked in restaurants, but also interned in the Brookline Public Schools. When I graduated, my husband Josh and I moved to Italy for our extended honeymoon so he could learn first hand from Italian chefs. I found a job nanyang for a prestigious winery, Marchesi di Barolo. It was there I began my journey into wine. When we returned from Italy, for 7 years, I taught in Brookline as a history middle school teacher. Josh decided to open his own restaurant in 1997, and after having our 3rd son, he pulled me back into the business to help manage and market La Morra with a 5 week old in tow. I never looked back from teaching and after 12 years we found our dream property with Heritage of Sherborn, a restaurant, event venue, wine shop and small Inn. A year ago we opened Punch Bowl in the brand new Hilton Garden Inn to round out our trip fetch of restaurant offerings. I passed my Advanced level of the WSET in 2018 and I became a Certified Sommelier in 2020 with the Court of Master Sommeliers. I love to teach about wine in private classes and tastings and have personal connections with wineries all over the world. I curated an all Italian wine list at La Morra and at Punch Bowl, as an ode to the female Inn Keepers and Bar Maids of the late 1700’s, the time period Punch Bowl got its name sake, I have an all female inspired wine list. My husband as Executive Chef and I, running the wine programs and managing the front of the house managers make a great team!

You and your team are amazing. Thank you for preparing delicious food day in and day out. We are so lucky to have you in our town.

By far the best advice I gave received dates back to my Papa. He always told my mom, who passed this on to me, that if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it. I have expanded on that to use as my own mantra, it’s a very small world and you should never burn a bridge. I live by these words of wisdom!

I would love to say it is industry related, but my favorite books are the ones I can curl up with on the beach and fly through when I get that second to myself. Jennifer Weiner, Elin Hilderbrandt are two of my favorite beach read authors.

Not such a secret, but my computer for sure. I set up my email in folders, so I can utilize the system wherever I am. I archive in folders any non junk emails and it makes it easy to refer back to all correspondance.

By far joining as a Co-Host/leader of Let's Talk Womxn has been my most recent WIN. I was approached by a restauranteur from Chicago who wanted to expand this network she had formed last year during Covid. It is a network of women owned food and beverage businesses that has become my new village. I never had anything like it. We do an incredible event on International Women’s Day where we put together a mystery meal pack (right now for take out) and host a virtual panel with a well known moderator on International Women’s Day. In addition, we meet once a month on Zoom to talk about our pulse of what we are going through and to help each other and cross pollinate our businesses. When I have a question and need a quick answer, I email the group and instantaneously hear back. In addition, I was on The Today Show, Dining Playbook and many news publications as a result of leading this powerhouse group of women.

I have a very young staff at Heritage and I am constantly trying to mentor and teach them on having a proper work ethic. We require two weeks notice for time off, that they cover their own shifts and communicate respectfully to their peers and supervisors. They learn life lessons in the industry and many have thanked us and let us know that by holding them accountable, they have been much more prepared for college and life after.

I am in the perfect industry because I do not enjoy being alone. I love to spend my free time with my husband, my 3 boys and my extended family, who are almost all close by. In addition I love to be with my friends traveling and just enjoying nights in or out sipping amazing wine and enjoying meals together.

I found out when I was 20 that my sister and I were IVF babies and our estranged “father” was actually not our biological dad. It wasn’t official that he wasn’t until we did 23 and Me and Ancestor DNA tests. She ended up discovering many donor siblings and who her DNA dad was. She has a great relationship with her siblings, but the donor dad does not want to be in communication. Three years ago, I received a message on 23 and Me from a woman in NY who said she thinks her dad is my donor dad and I look just like her grandmother. We met in New York and since then an amazing friendship with her and her dad and mom has developed, not only with just me but with my parents (my adopted dad) and my sister too. I have 3 siblings that are his children and now 4 new nieces and nephews. Not many people know this about me, but the way the family has grown has been an incredibly positive experience for me.