THE BASICS

Name: Michael Dorf
Title: Founder and CEO
Company, city: City Winery; New York City
First job: Founder of Knitting Factory
Where to next: I’m going to Nashville for some real estate work, then to St. Louis, where we have a location, to host a 40th-
anniversary college reunion. I’ll also head to wine meetings in Northern California.

© Michael Dorf

A LITTLE BIT MORE
What actor or actress would play you in a movie of your life? David Constable, because we share some characteristics, like facial hair and goofiness! Sometimes, not always successfully, I try to bring levity, good humor and fun to everything I do, even to tough conversations. I think he’s a great actor and he’s funny.

What would you be doing professionally if you weren’t in your current industry? I’d be in commercial real estate development; City Winery’s growth is about the spaces we occupy. We constantly develop real estate, but as an operator, you don’t just get to leave. A pure developer moves on. I would have made a lot more money.

What is your favorite book, movie or television show? One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garciá Márquez resonated and stuck with me in a way few other books have. Everything was so deeply insightful.

What historical figure, dead or alive, would you love to have dinner with? I’ve seen people answer Hitler, so they could kill him. But Abe Lincoln would be cool.

THE BUSINESS
What is your most recent project, and what was the inspiration behind it? An exciting project and the largest adaptive reuse of space I could have dreamt of is Milk Factory in New York’s Hudson Valley. It still feels like a dream. We’re transforming the 150-year-old building ruins of a large condensed milk factory into a 60-room boutique hotel. The area is calling out for a luxury, urban-style hotel. The space will include a hotel, winery component, a restaurant and spa.

What is your favorite aspect of the job? Adaptive reuse of historic buildings and spaces; I love the Chicago City Winery space — a 130-year-old building, and you walk into our new structure that leads into two older structures. As our second
location, it raised the bar for creating and finding spaces for future outposts.

What’s the biggest business risk you’ve ever taken? Launching the concept of City Winery

Who is someone you admire professionally in the travel industry? Richard Branson, as he’s a bona fide success as a business person, but he also sticks to his instincts on the various businesses he develops rather than purely being a data scientist. I find that admirable, and I don’t think anyone else has executed it as well.

AS A TRAVELER
Tell us about a travel nightmare: In 1984 I was traveling on a Eurail pass and thought I was going to West Berlin. I was asleep overnight and accidentally got off in East Berlin. I was approached by the army, who looked at my passport and said you aren’t in the right place. After talking to them, they escorted me to Checkpoint Charlie. The several-block walk through East Berlin showed me how much was in disrepair, in stark contrast to West Berlin.

Share a comical travel experience: I was on Acela from Washington, D.C., to NYC with Wolf Blitzer on a Friday afternoon. I remember it was Friday because he was on the phone the whole time and kept saying “Shabbat shalom.” As we pulled into
Penn Station, I’m Jewish, so I said, “Shabbat shalom, Wolf.” We talked and walked off the train together.

What is your preferred method of travel — planes, trains, automobiles, cruise ships — and why? I love trains; I find them somewhat soothing and meditative as they are more scenic and tranquil. Especially from New York City to somewhere like Boston or D.C., the train is easier for time value and better from an environmental standpoint.

What has been the best example of customer service you’ve experienced during your travels? With Concierge Key status on American Airlines, I was rushed between flights in Dallas via private car from jet bridge to jet bridge.