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Wine
Gourmet Staff |
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Kimberly
Eakin,
Certified
Specialist of Wine
Co-Owner
Kimberly
loves wine! She has been in the wine
business for 23 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 class instructor for monthly wine
classes. 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 Craig
County 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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Cary
Bednarek,
Sommelier & Certified Specialist of Wine
Co-Owner
Cary has a passion for wine and beer that is
rivaled by few. He recently passed
the Master
Sommelier Introductory Sommelier Exam
and the Certified Specialist of
Wine Exam. Away from
the shop, Cary loves to play a round of golf
or a game of soccer. He lead the Wine
Gourmet soccer team to Bronze at the Virginia
Commonwealth Games 2006. Cary is a
graduate of Lord Botetourt High School and
is a certified medium-duty truck mechanic.
He currently lives in Roanoke with his wife,
Jennifer, and their dog, Prince.
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Larry
Shaver,
Certified
Specialist of Wine
Wine Educator
Larry
has been on staff at Wine Gourmet since
Opening Day. He is a Certified Specialist
of Wine as well as our Cigar Consultant. He
was President of Princeton, NJ chapter of
Les Amis du Vin and is a
world-traveled wine lover. Larry is one of
our main wine instructors for classes 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
Melinda lights
up Wine Gourmet with her smile. She is
our lead instructor for WINE 101 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 red VW Bug. Melinda
is one smart cookie and is currently pursuing
her PhD.
Mike
Harper,
Certified
Culinarian, Certified Specialist of Wine
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.
Brooke Lawson
Wine
Consultant
Linda
Livingston
Wine
Consultant
Kathy
Bednarek
Office
Manager |
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