Experience
Jonathan Cepelak, of Long Island, New York, is a leading food and beverage manager with over six years of experience in his field. Skilled in fine dining service, guest relations, food and beverage presentation, and event planning, Jonathan Cepelak has been an integral part of restaurants throughout his career.
Jonathan began his career in the food and beverage industry at a very young age working as a server and expeditor for a local oyster bar while attending college. After working as a bar back and busboy for a short while, Cepelak accepted a position as Restaurant Manager at Caci North Fork Restaurant in 2014. For the next four years, Jonathan worked collaboratively with the executive chef and owners to establish two upscale restaurants with fine dining services on the beautiful shores of Southold Long Island. As the Restaurant Manager, Jonathan was responsible for the creative design of their menus, in addition to creating specialty cocktails and expertly curating their wine and beer selection. Due to the nature of the location and the clientele, Jonathan was often tasked with event planning for each of the restaurants. Under this role, Jonathan successfully supervised and trained over 25 servers, ensuring that each new hire provided a stellar dining experience to their high-profile patrons.
During his time at Caci North Fork, Cepelak attended Suffolk Community College where he majored in Hotel and Resort Management. In 2017, Jonathan Cepelak had an opportunity to travel to Florence, Italy for a hotel management internship. While working at the Borghese Palace Hotel, Jonathan was responsible for supervising room assignments, housekeeping, maintenance, and guest services. During his time here, Cepelak was in charge of client relations as well as event networking.
In 2018, Jonathan Cepelak began working for Greenhill Corporation LLC as a Beverage Manager. In this role, Cepelak supervised beverage preparation and service experiences for patrons at two different restaurants. He was also responsible for hiring and training servers and bartenders. Most recently, Jonathan accepted a position at Greenport Harbor Brewery on Long Island as an Assistant Manager. In his current role, Jonathan is responsible for the service and floor management of the two microbreweries. Cepelak effectively coordinates with the general manager, executive chefs, and owners to consistently improve their service delivery.
Jonathan Cepelak is a dedicated leader with strong mentoring and motivational abilities. Cepelak has an undeniable work ethic and is consistently eager to inspire and lead change. With a fascination for food pairings and farm to table concepts, Jonathan loves to cook and soak up the culture and cuisine of local and other areas for inspiration.
Jonathan hopes to enroll in SUNY Delhi University’s online program this year. Outside of work, Jonathan Cepelak enjoys watching sports and religiously follows Duke basketball. Having grown up on Long Island, Jonathan enjoys participating in various outdoor activities. He also enjoys writing in his spare time and following various photographers.
For more information about Jonathan Cepelak and his current career pathway, connect with him on Twitter or visit his blog!
Past Positions
Greenport Harbor Brewery
Peconic, NY | Assistant Manager
2019 – present
In his career, Jonathan works hard to manage the brewery, supervising food and beverage preparation for patrons at both microbreweries and designing food and beverage menu while establishing and maintaining contacts with vendors and media.
Green Hill Corporation LLC
Greenport, NY | Beverage Manager
2018 – 2019
With Green Hill, Jonathan served as Beverage Manager, placing him in charge of hiring and training all servers and bartenders while also supervising food and beverage preparation for the two restaurants. He also designed menus and created curated alcohol selections.
Caci North Fork Restaurant
Southold, NY | Restaurant Service Manager
2018 – 2019
While managing Caci, Jonathan Cepelak worked closely with the owners and executive chef to establish two upscale restaurants offering fine dining services with a curated menu of food, wine, beer, and cocktails.
Certifications
TIPS Alcohol Manager Certification | 2019
Online eTIPS University
Certification: Alcohol Manager Certification
Suffolk County Food Managers Certificate | 2019
Suffolk County Health Department
Certification: Food Manager & Food Handling
All-Star Bartending School | 2019
1-800-BARTEND School
Certification: Bartending
Education
Loyola University | New Orleans, LA
Major: Communications
Graduated: 2014
Suffolk County Community College | Riverhead, NY
Major: Hotel/Resort Management
Graduated: 2018
SUNY Delhi University | Delhi, NY
Online Program: Hotel and Restaurant Management
Enrolled: 2020
Jonathan’s Recent Blogs
How to Organize Your Bar
Running a bar can be fun, but it can also be a nightmare if things aren't organized correctly. Bartending can be a fast-paced job if you're working in a busy location, and your bartenders and barbacks need to be able to find what they need and serve customers as...
8 Cocktails for the Thanksgiving Feast
Thanksgiving dinner is all about variety. The holiday is a time to socialize as much as it is a time to indulge in tasty foods. These seasonal drinks are ideal before and after the big meal. Thanks Given Vodka, Cointreau, lemon juice, and cranberry sauce are shaken...
Great Seasonal Cocktails for Autumn
Seasonal cocktails can make a fun addition to any autumn menu. Incorporating squash into cocktails can be a great way to celebrate the season. That may sound unusual. Traditionally, the most popular cocktails tend to either have a refreshing, astringent taste or a...