I was born and raised in Amherst, Ohio and have worked at my family’s restaurant, Olde Town Pizza House, on and off since I was 12 years old. At age 24 I moved to New York City where I started off as a food runner, server then began to bartend at Ai Fiori, a One Michelin Star restaurant on Fifth Avenue. From there I quickly scaled the ladder and became head bartender at Ai Fiori. I held the position of head bartender at Ai Fiori until I left at 29 to pursue opportunities in Barcelona, Spain. During that time, I also helped revamp the bar at the now Two Michelin Star restaurant, Gabriel Kreuther. In Spain I was fortunate enough to work with one of the largest distributors of fine wine and spirits in Western Europe, WkyRegal. While there I traveled most of the country for work and events as well as to visit wineries and distilleries through out Spain and France. My day to day activities consisted of traveling the city of Barcelona, selling wine and spirits to the restaurants, bars, and hotels there. I travelled the country teaching classes, in Spanish, on wine and cocktail creation. I also coached industry professionals on how to enhance the customer experience in each unique space I worked with. These travels also led me to participate in different competitions ranging from the International Rum Congress in Madrid, to a Coca- Cola Cocktail Competition in Sevilla. While living and working in Spain, I was fortunate enough to spend time in a few different places in France. Spending time with the Merlet family at their amazing distillery in Cognac; family owned and operated for several generations. Paris was also great to explore, dine, and sight see; but Cognac and Bordeaux was where the real experience was. Traveling and learning from experts on wine and spirits allowed me to enhance my knowledge and better develop my pallet. The hands-on experience I received was the most valuable part of my travels. I have recently been working at a fine dining restaurant led by the only chef in Cleveland who has earned a Michelin Star during his career, Dante Boccuzzi. His Italian fine dining restaurant “Dante” offers a five-course dining experience paired with wines. This experience, which changes weekly, gives our guests the opportunity to learn how we pair wines in a way that compliments the food. Our general manager and head sommelier trusts each server to have adequate knowledge in wine to create a wine pairing adventure each week that enhances the food and the overall guest experience. This creative freedom has refined my everyday knowledge of and passion for wine