Michael Shain is General Manager of Porchlight, the first stand-alone cocktail bar by Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG). Porchlight, a New York bar with a Southern accent, is the brainchild of USHG’s CEO Danny Meyer and Blue Smoke’s Senior Managing Partner Mark Maynard-Parisi.

Michael is responsible for building and managing Porchlight’s hospitable bartending team. He created its cocktail menu alongside his bar team, curated the bar’s bourbon, rye and American whiskey list, as well as beer offerings.

Previously, Michael was Beverage Director at Blue Smoke’s two locations in the Flatiron District and Battery Park, a position that he assumed in 2014. His accomplishments at Blue Smoke include invigorating the cocktail program, bringing a focus to craft beer and small batch whiskey and implementing a new all-American wine list. Michael joined Blue Smoke in 2010 and worked his way up through the restaurant’s ranks.