Staff Focus: Megan Woodland, AGM of Common House Charlottesville

How did you end up at Common House Charlottesville?

Through the tight-knit restaurant community in Charlottesville, I met Erin and Joe Scala (the respective Beverage Director and Hospitality Director of Common House). Back in 2019, I came to a wine dinner at Common House as a guest and was blown away with the space, the food, and the staff. It was just the neatest concept I had ever seen! A year later when I was applying for jobs, Common House was the first place I looked.

How did you get into the world of Food & Bev Management?

I've worked in hospitality for almost 8 years, taking a brief break when I was in graduate school working on my PhD in Chemistry at UVA. I'd never really thought about a career in hospitality until I came to Common House, though. 

I started as a server here in the fall of 2020 then progressed over the last two years to Assistant General Manager. Currently, I wear many hats, most of them centered around the beverage program with a hefty dose of restaurant management. I am in charge of the wine list, cocktail menu, and retail wine. And my responsibilities are rounded out by running private events and educating the staff on all things beverage!

What motivates you to continue your industry education? 

Being someone who always has found a lot of value in academics, I’ve found that having the piece of paper that told me I’ve accomplished something is really motivating. I recently completed my WSET Level 2, which is the Wine & Spirits Education Trust and then I became a Certified Beverage Specialist, which was a baseline for everything from coffee to sake. Spirits is really more of my passion and so this year I think I might do my Certified Specialist of Spirits.

Erin and I also want to get our Cicerone certifications this year, which is centered around beer. I feel like beer falls through the cracks, because a lot of people are passionate about wine or spirits, but beer is just as complex and interesting. I actually took a beer-making class in undergrad that was taught by my organic chem professor, which inspired my partner and I to brew all the beer for our wedding, which was a fun touch! 

What projects are you working on that you’re most excited about? 

The Cocktail Menu! It’s a good menu. We’ve been working on it for about a month, but a lot goes into it like, recipe developing, and pricing and everything. I’m really proud of it. 

What’s your favorite cocktail here at Common House? 

Oooo! This is a fun one. We have “Elementum”, this Sesame Washed Scotch Old Fashioned. So there is this technique called fat washing where you take an oil — coconut, sesame or olive — and you put it in a container with your liquor of choice and let it sit for a few hours to a day, depending on potency. Then you put it in the freezer and strain off the oil. What remains is this rich flavor. The cocktail also has muddled ginger in it, and so it’s almost a Scotch Old Fashioned with an Asian flair. It’s really good.

Another favorite is “A Night to Remember,” made with white port, vanilla simple syrup, lime and bitters. I think most people don’t care about port, or they think it’s an old person drink, so I’m excited to show people that port is actually really tasty and it’s lower in alcohol content than a liquor-based drink, so it’s a good option if you don’t want to be super booze heavy.