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October 2025 Member of the Month Spotlight: Gina and Dave Wuestmann Find the Perfect Pairing in a Happy Hour - Turned into Happily Ever After


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Gina and Dave Wuestmann are a truly special couple. They share a passion for food, hospitality and serving others. Their partnership is anchored in deep love and appreciation for each other’s strengths.


The two met at The North Village Tavern, a business Gina has owned for the past sixteen years, when a mutual friend had to head back to grab a forgotten phone charger. The two chatted for a while when Gina told Dave, “Hang on, I gotta go home and get pretty!” After returning to the bar, the two hung out for another eight hours (Talk about a “Meet Cute/Meet Cuter”).


Gina, a long-time resident of Rockville Centre, started out tending bars and then moved to ownership of several establishments. Dave serves as a Program Manager for UL Solutions and over the years focused his free time on entrepreneurial pursuits. The two opened BTW, Born This Way, an LGBTQ bar in 2020 after seeing a local need for a dedicated space for the area’s vibrant LGBTQ community (it closed in 2022 due to COVID). The Wuestmanns are also founding chapter members of the Long Island Pride Lions Club (see LI Herald).


On real-world business lessons, Gina shares, “Always save 10% of your proceeds for taxes every week so you don’t have to scramble.” On leading successful teams, she says, “Lead by example, always be willing to do what you ask someone else. The people on my staff are truly special, I’ve empowered them, so I don’t have to be on-site 24/7.”


Dave shares, “Always have the endgame in mind. Good leaders can make mistakes. It is how you recover that determines your ultimate success.”


One of this couple’s favorite “NVT” (North Village Tavern) memories was the night Dave proposed. Gina reflected, “It was karaoke night and all our friends and family were there. Dave, who is NOT a lover of the spotlight, wrote custom lyrics to Barry White’s ‘Can’t Get Enough of Your Love’ that included asking me to marry him.”


Dave also fondly remembers, “It is true, I prefer to be the one working the spotlight rather than the one ‘in’ the spotlight. We each contribute different things to this marriage, and that is why we work together so well.”


In 2023, the dynamic duo reopened the town’s gourmet cheese shop as Let It Brie, just down the road and incorporated their specialty cheeses into The North Village Tavern’s Menu, including hosting a monthly gourmet cheese tasting night. If each partner had to assign themselves a cheese flavor, Gina says, “I’m a Four Alarm Cheddar, kind of girl.” Dave remarks, "I’m definitely an aged Gouda – mellow and a bit sweet.”


As active members of the RVC Civic Association and Chamber of Commerce, the Wuestmanns have a long history of supporting their community. They are on the Board of the Spencer Foundation, which supports children with cancer and their families, and they also give to numerous other charities throughout the year.


Says Gina, “We’ve been fortunate. We’ve traveled and know how truly lucky we are. It’s important to give back when you can. Dave and I love this town, and we’re ready for the next chapter and keeping our downtown a true destination for people.”


Dave also shares, “I was raised in Suffolk County, but picked Rockville Centre over fifteen years ago as the place I want to live for the rest of my life.”


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