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Kimberly
Eakin,
Certified
Specialist of Wine
President
Kimberly
loves wine! She's been in the wine biz for 24 years. Her family owns and
operates Blue Ridge Vineyard in Eagle Rock,
Virginia. She opened Wine Gourmet in
May 2002. Her goal is to offer the
best high-quality
wine values to winelovers. She is also
an advocate of wine education and is often
the lead instructor for monthly wine
seminars. Kimberly is one of 1700 Certified
Specialists of Wine in the United
States. She is a James River High
School and a Virginia Tech graduate.
She lives in Roanoke with her husband, Lenden, their
daughter, Mariah, their son, Nathan, and their two Brittany
Spaniels, Freckles and Belle. Kimberly
serves in the US Army Reserve as a
Marksmanship Instructor. |
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Larry
Shaver,
Certified
Specialist of Wine
Wine Educator,
Wine Buyer
Larry
has been on staff at Wine Gourmet since
Opening Day. He is one of the few Certified Specialists
of Wine in the USA. He
was President of Princeton, NJ chapter of
Les Amis du Vin and is a
world-traveled wine lover. Larry is also our main wine instructor
for seminars at
Wine Gourmet. His palate is relied on by his
peers as well as customers. Larry excels at
food and wine pairings. Larry is a retired
Avon executive who lives in Roanoke with
his Border Collie, Katie. He is an avid
reader and has even written a book. He raises
orchids and carnivorous plants. He’s one of
those rare people that knows a lot about a
lot of things!
Melinda Hayes
Wine
Consultant, Gift and Food Buyer
Melinda lights
up Wine Gourmet with her smile. She is
our lead instructor for WINE 101 &
WINE 102 class.
She has four years of recent experience
with Virginia's most popular winery, Chateau Morrisette. She is
also the
Virginia Outreach Director of Recording for the Blind &
Dyslexic. She is a huge fan of
the Virginia Tech Hokies and Atlanta Braves.
Melinda
loves driving her green Mini Cooper. Melinda
is one smart cookie and is currently pursuing
her PhD.
Mike
Harper,
Maitré d'Shop, Certified
Culinarian, Certified Specialist of Wine,
Beer Buyer
Mike, recently graduated Magna cum Laude
from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts
in Atlanta, Georgia. Mike completed Le
Cordon Bleu’s accelerated course schedule in
which two years of study are compressed into
one. He moved to Roanoke recently for love
and soon discovered Wine Gourmet. In
February 2007, Mike passed the Certified
Specialist of Wine (CSW) exam making him our
4th CSW. His background in food and
retail sales (25 years) make him a valuable addition to our
staff.
Emily
Fielder
Special Order
Facilitator, Wine
Consultant
We have our very own "Holly
Dolly" at Wine Gourmet. Emily, a
graduate of Hollins University, is as
charming and lovely as she is erudite.
She is also the lady to see if you need a
wine you can't find on our shelves.
Linda
Livingston
Wine
Consultant
Linda, a mender of broken
hearts in her capacity as a medical
professional at Carilion, is always ready,
when she's wearing her wine hat, with a
recommendation for something to fill your
dinner glass - or just something to
sip on the porch, if dinner's not what you
had in mind. When she's not waxing
grape at Gourmet, you'll find Linda in her
home studio cobbling bits of colored glass
together making beautiful art pieces.
Aaron
Layman
Beer
Consultant
Aaron
completed his studies at University of Mary
Washington and, fortunately for us, moved
back to Roanoke. Beside consulting on
issues of wine and especially beer, Aaron
writes our newsletter. Aaron's depth
of knowledge on beer borders on the scary.
His quest to quaff all that can be quaffed
has been aided by his expanded access to our
extensive array of malt beverages.
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