about

Gabrielle (she/they) is a hospitality professional and vinyl DJ based in Austin, Texas. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Nevada, Reno, Gabrielle brings a unique blend of people management and human resource expertise to the service industry.

Her professional journey began at Coffeebar, a fast-growing specialty coffee chain, where she honed her skills under the leadership of entrepreneur Greg Buccheister from 2014 to 2017. During her tenure, Gabrielle performed various roles including barista, gelato chef, pastry chef, level one sommelier, and manager. In 2016, she relocated to Squaw Valley, CA to lead the opening team of Coffeebar’s fourth location, showcasing her initiative and operational acumen.

In 2017, Gabrielle co-founded Clever Baking Co with fellow hospitality professional Jon French, aiming to revolutionize the pastry industry by providing specialty cafes with craft raw-to-bake pastries. Under their guidance, Clever grew rapidly, expanding its reach to over 30 locations across greater Austin and north Texas, with a team of 11 bakers and delivery drivers.

The pandemic prompted a pivot for Clever Baking Co, when it joined forces with coffee professional and graphic designer Raechel Hurd in 2020 to launch cafe and DJ venue, Try Hard Coffee Roasters. Located on E. 11th St, Try Hard quickly garnered national and international acclaim, earning accolades such as "Best New Cafe of 2021" from Sprudge Magazine and "Best Coffee Shop in Texas" in 2022 from Food and Wine Magazine. As a driving force behind Try Hard, Gabrielle spearheaded operational and administrative initiatives, including menu launches, event programming, brand activations, and community partnerships, cementing it as her proudest achievement to date.

Currently, Gabrielle is exploring new ventures in the hospitality and music industries. She is active as a resident DJ of Queer Vinyl Collective and independently as DJ Beaujolais, where she continues to push the boundaries of her creativity as a vinyl DJ and natural wine enthusiast. She enjoys creating synergetic experiences around craft food and music that foster conversation, learning, and community. Her current work includes designing weekly "grape.jam" DJ sets where she pairs vinyl tracks inspired by the associations and memories evoked by interesting natural wines. When she’s not working, you’ll likely catch her crate-digging for Japanese vinyl, scheming this year’s Halloween costume or running to one of Austin’s Red River St. venues to catch a gig.