Andrew Fortgang Co-Owner, Manager and Sommelier, Le Pigeon and Little BirdAndrew Fortgang is Co-Owner, Manager and Sommelier of Le Pigeon and Little Bird. Andrew feels truly blessed that his passions are his profession; he surrounds himself with good food, great wine ("Life is too short to drink anything else" is a motto he lives by), and good people. Born and raised in New York City into a family that loves to eat and drink, he began cooking at Gramercy Tavern at the age of sixteen. Following stints in the kitchens at Jean-Georges and Aureole, and upon the completion of his studies at the Cornell School of Hotel Administration, he returned to Gramercy Tavern as a floor manager and director of the cheese program. After committing himself to both back and front of house roles, Andrew gravitated toward the wine side of things. He was lucky to be with a group of managers and servers who were all passionate about wine, many of whom launched careers for themselves in the wine industry. Andrew then moved to Craft restaurant, where he served as the beverage director overseeing the wine list and facilitated the development of the beverage programs at Craftbar, Craftsteak New York, and Craft Dallas. His work led him to his wife Lauren, who worked at Craft when Andrew was at Gramercy Tavern. In 2007 Lauren and Andrew moved to Portland, where he started working at Le Pigeon upon arrival. When not at one of the restaurants, Andrew can probably be found at home (in the backyard, weather permitting) with Lauren, and their daughter, Dora.