After spending much time and money earning an undergraduate degree in Human Biology, I realized that I could not fathom more years of school or spending all my time in a laboratory. I did what most early twenty something do: continued working my hospitality job in the restaurant industry. Out of this experience, I grew to appreciate and love the ritual of dining for it engenders connection. The connection created between server and diners, dinner companions, wine and food, taste and memory.

When I walked away from the hospitality industry, stepping into the wholesale side of wine and spirits felt like a journey not far from home over 8 years ago. Central to my work remains this idea of creating connections. Now when I pull a cork on a bottle, I have a story of the family whose wine I am pouring, a story of their ancestors and their land. While business has changed so much in the few years I have been in it, what has not changed is the need that people have to feel connected to one another. The ritual of dining remains such a primary facilitator of this connection, and I am so happy to offer all the beverages for it, whether they be brewed, fermented, distilled, or sans alcohol.

Outside of work, you’ll find me studying the history and science of rocks, grapes, and koji. Chasing my cats around the house (Minko and Danio). Chasing the deer out of my yard, as they defoliate my fruit trees, eat my native flowers, and attempt to get into my vegetable garden. Finishing the restoration on my turn-of-the-century four square. Cooking new recipes (the secret ingredient is always extra garlic or miso paste or anchovy). And hiking up and down the beautiful slopes of Duluth and the North Shore.