After two years working with students in rural Kenya, Gay was suddenly struck ill with Guillain-Barre, a rare disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks nerves. “I was so sick I couldn’t walk. I lost all feeling in my hands and feet, and it progressed up my legs. They rushed me to the hospital. Over time I got better but was not permitted back to Kenya.”
She ended up in Los Angeles, finding work at Hollywood restaurant Chi Spacca, which would change the course of her career with the owners sponsoring her for sommelier certification. “I love hospitality, I love food, I love creating experiences for people. When studying wine, you’re studying history and geography, politics, law, agriculture and chemistry. I was really mentally stimulated by it. I caught the bug and decided to stop pursuing music.”
It was 2019 when a friend introduced Gay to the The Idea Collective, who were preparing to open Sueno and Tender Mercy in downtown Dayton. “To hear how passionate they were about Dayton, and how excited they were about the potential — I remember waking up and thinking, I need to stay in Dayton.” Gay continues serving as Wine Director for Sueno and Tender Mercy while she builds out her own business, a 2,000-square-foot wine bar and wine retail space called Joui in downtown Dayton’s Fire Blocks District, slated to open in October.
Gay, 36, lives in Dayton’s St. Anne’s Hill neighborhood in an 1886 house.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
MORNING VIBES
“I love routine. I love the process of waking up in the morning, making a French press, turning on music. I love ‘60s psychedelia, garage rock, shoegaze.” She then reads for a half hour. “I just started “Les Enfants terribles” by Cocteau. The only reason I bought that book is because one of my favorite bands is Cocteau Twins (laughs).”
DREAMY FLOWY
Gay heads over to monitor Joui’s construction, which already shows hints of its “dreamy flowy” design sensibility. Markings on the century-old floorboards denote the curvilinear bar. The windows stream natural light over an area marked off for built-in banquet seating. Gay’s brother, a welder, is building retail wine racks on iron frames, which can be rolled aside to make way for events. “The aesthetic has ‘60s psychedelia infused into it. I want it to be very music-focused, so I’m going to have vinyl turntables in the shop. I’ve already talked to a few people around town about DJ residencies. I just love hosting events so much.”
LOGISTICS
These days, Gay bounces in and out of meetings for the new space. “Today I had to meet with my landlord, construction team and sound guy. Yesterday I met with the chef who’s curating the menu. Her name is Mariah. She actually works at Sueno and Tender Mercy. She’s a trained chef with tons of experience. I wanted somebody’s expertise so she’s helping me with purveyors and writing recipes.”
FEMININE ENERGY
The chef, website designer, architect, designer and loan officer for Joui are all women. “It’s incredible how many women have been involved every step of the way. That’s kind of the point of the shop. I want to focus on environmentally friendly wines and give preference to women-made wines.”
DECISION FATIGUE
“The biggest crunch for me is making all the selections for furnishes and fixtures. We have all these tile and paint and fabric samples and we’re holding different things up against one another. I can’t even pick what I want to order off the dinner menu, so having to pick all this stuff is overwhelming. I don’t think I would have had the courage to do any of this if it wasn’t for (The Idea Collective’s) support and wisdom. I would have failed so many times. They’re incredible.”
SPIT TAKE
Gay is still working the floor at Sueno and Tender Mercy. She shows up at 3and leaves around 11. “I’m assisting the team, talking to guests and working on the wine list. I put something new on the list every month or two. I meet weekly with distributors, and we’ll taste wines. I’m tasting wine at 10 a.m. - not drinking it. We spit it out. It’s kind of gross at these tastings — everybody’s spitting wine into this bucket (laughs).”
BIG KID
With new managers at Sueno and Tender Mercy, Gay has more evenings free. “Last night I went and got a glass of wine with my friend and tonight I’m going to a birthday party. I don’t remember the last night I had a Friday or Saturday night off! I feel like a big kid right now. I can go out and go to dinner.”
KITSCH MEAL
“I love to cook, I have a garden and I enjoy making things from scratch. I make homemade sauces and freeze them. When I do go out to eat, I really like Dayton places that are stuck in time, like Paragon, Treasure Island and Pine Club. I really enjoy the kitschiness. I love Jollity, too. They’re so talented and creative.”
RECLAIMING TIME
“I should go home and go to bed immediately, but it’s very difficult. You’re so wound up. My therapist called it ‘reclaiming my time.’ Now I have my time, the thing that I don’t want to do is just go to sleep. I want to do something that makes me wind down and relax and feel fulfilled. I love movies — horror films, documentaries, revisiting classics.”
WIND UP TO WIND DOWN
“I like to unwind with a glass of wine, duh. But I’ve also gotten in the habit of drinking hot tea at the end of the night. A reoccurring theme (in my life) is physical reactions to stress, which is why I try to do yoga and things like that. When I got really sick from being in the Peace Corps, they couldn’t figure out what the trigger was. Finally, my doctor said he thought it was stress-related. At the same time, I get very bored and like to have a full plate. Being a business owner is stressful, but I’m excited to get everything up and running.”
THE PARTICULARS
Stay up to date on Joui’s opening at jouiwine.com. The wine bar with retail space opens this fall and is located at 117 E. Third Street in downtown Dayton. Hours will be Wednesday-Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
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