The Wino

Simon Anixter, wine director at Rose Pistola, began his food and beverage career like many people did, working summers in restaurants while he attended Claremont McKenna College in Southern California. Realizing his true passion, he decided to pursue a career in wine after graduating with a degree in science and…

Oakland-based travel photographer Adrian Reynolds muses about travel, food, wine and the wonderful world of cured pork products on his blogs Piccolo Gastronomo and Culatello. Adrian also has a Masters of Science in Gastronomy from the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Parma, Italy, aka "Slow Food U.," and…

Dave McLean fell in love with craft beer 20 years ago in Boston. He still remembers his first, eye-opening pint of cask-conditioned beer at the now-defunct Commonwealth Brewing Co. The resulting home-brewing hobby mushroomed into an obsession and he completed the Master Brewers Program at UC Davis, under the tutelage…

Evan Goldstein, MS, and President and Chief Education Officer of Full Circle Wine Solutions Inc., is one of the nation's most prolific food and wine industry veterans. His food and wine career started at age 19 in Paris, and in 1984 he joined his mother, chef and author…

Jessica Boyd has been working in Japanese restaurants and studying sake for 10 years. She studies Japanese and looks forward to moving to Japan in a few years to live the good life in the countryside. After realizing her passion for sake, she sought out a job at Ozumo. Through…

For sommelier Helen Roy, food and wine has played an integral part of her life since childhood. Upon graduating high school at the age of fifteen, Roy furthered her education by first earning her Associate's Degree in Hospitality Management at CCA before spending several years in Europe managing…

Duggan McDonnell is a partner in the Latin cocktail lounge Cantina, educator, consultant, as well as a candidate for an MFA in Writing from the University of San Francisco. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â   A few weeks ago I taught a cocktail class at…

Photo by Stefanie Michejda Jerry Cooper is a nationally recognized wine consultant, wine and spirits judge, lecturer, educator, and can be found wandering aimlessly around San Francisco with his various sommelier friends. He has recently established his own company, Swirl on Castro, a wine/spirits retail store and wine bar…

Tony Poer has been in and around the wine business since college. He got his start working as a garçon at Willi's Wine Bar in Paris, France in the early 90s. He then moved to San Francisco to pursue a retail and restaurant wine career. He has held…

Mauro Cirilli of Perbacco hails from Padova, Italy, where he was introduced to the joys of wine at an early age, when he would visit his grandfather's vineyard in the Colli Euganei and join in the process of making wine for their friends and family. Mauro received his…