Wine Gourmet Staff
Kimberly Eakin
Certified Specialist of Wine, President
Kimberly loves wine! She's been in the wine biz for 25 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.
Larry Shaver
Certified Specialist of Wine, Wine Educator
Larry has been on staff at Wine Gourmet since Opening Day in 2002. 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, Wine 101 Instructor
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 faculty of Virginia Tech.
Mike Harper
Maitré d'Shop, Certified Culinarian, Certified Specialist of Wine
Food & Wine Pairing Instructor
Mike graduated Magna cum Laude from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Atlanta, Georgia.
He 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
3rd CSW. His background in food and retail sales (25 years) make him a valuable addition to our staff.
Emily Fielder
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 has been with Wine G since 20007 and hope she stays with us forever. She is also faculty at Virginia Tech.
Go Hokies!
Aaron Layman
Beer Buyer, Wine/Beer Writer, Instructor
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, Wine Club informational sheets and runs the Beer of the Month Club. 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.
Pam West
Wine Consultant, Food/Gift
Buyer, Wine Club Coordinator, Instructor
Pam has been in the wine business longer than any of us. She brings a dynamic, experienced component to our team. Pam manages the largest Wine Club in southwest Virginia as well as our exclusive Connoisseur Club. Pam loves wine, talking about wine and placing the right wine in her customer's hands. She also teaches several seminars.
Mechelle Gillispie
Wine Consultant, Special
Order Facilitator, Instructor
If you've bought wine in Roanoke in the last 12 years, you've met Mechelle. Before joining Wine Gourmet, Mechelle served the customers of Lee & Edwards Wine Merchants and Trio Wine Bar/Bottle/Bistro downtown. Now, Mechelle juggles her duties at Wine G with her fast-paced life of a mother of two active boys and wife of a devoted husband. We are lucky to have Mechelle - she is a treasure trove of wine knowledge.