Feb 15, 2023
My guest this week is Inez Ribustello, a mother,
wife, author, entrepreneur and beer and wine lover.
Inez got her start in the world of food and wine
after moving to New York City from her home state of North
Carolina. Her wine career took a huge leap forward when she became
an Assistant Cellar Master at Windows on the World in One World
Trade Center. In a very short time, she was promoted to Beverage
Director.
After losing her job and her work family in the
terrorist attacks on 9/11, Inez moved back to her hometown with her
fiancé Stephen. Together they opened their own restaurant, wine bar
and retail store called On the Square.
Inez' next big venture was Tarboro Brewing Company, a
microbrewery that began operating in 2016. Almost a year later, she
and her husband opened a satellite taproom in a neighboring town.
Stephen and Inez have two children.
In September of 2021, Inez self-published her memoir
Life After Windows, a book she wrote
chronicling her journey from North Carolina to Manhattan.
5:31 – Inez 101
- Most people in Tarboro call her “Ine” (pronounced
eye-knee)
- After getting a part-time job at a wine shop during
culinary school, Inez realized she liked to drink more than she
liked to cook.
- After 9/11, she went back to North Carolina and
opened a small restaurant.
10:59 – Moving to New York City
- Inez didn’t have big plans for her life and wanted
to get engaged in college. The man she loved moved to New York
City, so she did, too.
- She didn’t expect to fall in love with New York and
fall out of love with the man she followed.
15:10 – Windows on the World
- Inez was determined to work at Windows on the
World, a restaurant at the top of the World Trade Center.
- Inez read an article about the restaurant and the
sommelier and decided she wanted to work there.
18:54 – Sept. 11, 2001
- Inez went home to North Carolina to be in her
sister’s wedding in September 2001.
- She told all her co-workers goodbye before leaving
work for what would be the last time.
- Inez watched 9/11 unfold on TV and tried calling
everyone she knew.
25:06 – The aftermath
- When Inez saw where the plane hit the tower, she
thought it would be a mess to clean up. She was in a state of shock
and didn’t understand what was happening.
- The hardest thing for her was the intense rage and
anger that she had never experienced before.
- Inez was so mad at God for what happened.
44:06 – Writing her memoir
- A publisher she spoke with said no one would care
about her or her book.
- A woman encouraged Inez to write her book and
publish it on the 20th
anniversary of 9/11.
56:20 – Get to know you
- The last thing that made her laugh? Her son in high
school is hysterical.
- The last thing that made her cry? Talking with a
friend.
FEATURED
QUOTES
I realized I liked to drink more than I liked to
cook. No one ever told me you could make a career in wine.
The whole season after 9/11 was just such a lonely,
brutal time.
The hardest thing for me was the intense rage and
overwhelming anger that I had not experienced as a person because
that’s not who I am. That lasted a really long time.
I was so mad at God, just furious [after Sept.
11].
I wasn’t a victim [of Sept. 11], but I lost people
and I lost a place.
https://www.inezribustello.com/
https://www.inezribustello.com/book/#continue-reading