DRINK SEMINARS

Saturday, October 13, 2012 | Noon – 4pm

Come to one of our many drink tent seminars throughout the day where you can learn more about your drink of choice by our esteemed experts! 

 

OUR DRINK TENT HOST:

PAUL EINBUND

Beverage Director, Frances restaurant and Seam Wines

Paul started working in restaurants at the age of 18 and has been a sommelier since he turned 26.  His first sommelier position was at the Water Grill in downtown Los Angeles from there Paul moved to Melisse in Santa Monica and then up to San Francisco in 2004 where he opened tartare restaurant with celebrated chef George Marrone and helped guide Coi restaurant with Daniel Patterson to 2 Michelin stars.   Most recently Paul has been working with Frances restaurant, where he helped guide them to a Michelin star.

Featured in the San Francisco Chronicle and the North Beach Press as a top bay area sommelier and named the Best Sommelier in the Bay Area 2010 by the SF Weekly, he has been quoted in numerous publications.  Paul’s life is devoted to demystification and education of all liquids.

SEMINAR PARTICIPANTS:

JAMES FREEMAN

Founder, Blue Bottle Coffee

James Freeman is the founder and owner of Blue Bottle Coffee. Prior to opening Blue Bottle, he was a San Francisco-based freelance clarinetist, performing in classical ensembles from Maine to New Mexico.  Blue Bottle is now one of the country’s leading artisan roasters, with six cafés in the San Francisco Bay Area, roasteries on both coasts, a kiosk on the High Line, and locations in Rockefeller Center, Tribeca, and Chelsea in Manhattan.  See www.bluebottlecoffee.com for more. James is also an author of The Blue Bottle Craft of Coffee, published by 10 Speed Press, which will be released this October.

 

YOON HA

Head Sommelier, Benu, SF Magazine Sommelier of the Year

Yoon Ha is the Head Sommelier at Benu with more than 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry throughout California. In 2005, Yoon moved to Northern California’s wine growing region and devoted his energies to viticulture at St. Francis Winery and Vineyards. Soon after, he worked along side Chef Ken Frank at La Toque as Sommelier during which time, the restaurant was accredited for having one of the ‘best food and wine pairing programs’ in the U.S. by Food & Wine Magazine. Yoon was recognized as StarChefs’ Rising Star Sommelier in 2009 and earned a James Beard Award nomination for Best Wine Service in 2010. Yoon is currently a Master Sommelier candidate for The Court of Master Sommeliers. 

ALAN MURRAY

Master Sommelier

Master Sommelier Alan Murray had his first glass of “quality wine” in the Hunter Valley, north of Sydney, Australia, where he was raised. After that glass, he spent nearly all of his vacations in Australia’s diverse wine regions, tasting, and learning as much as possible. In 1998, Murray moved to San Francisco where he took a job at Rubicon restaurant in order to work with the highly esteemed Master Sommelier Larry Stone. He became wine director at Masa’s in 2001 and was awarded his Master Sommelier diploma in February 2005.  In 2009 Murray started teaching at the Professional Culinary Institute in Campbell California. Now known as the French Culinary Institute, Murray continues to teach and guide young sommeliers. “The more I put into wine, the more I have received in return.”

JESSE FRIEDMAN

Co-Founder, COO, Almanac Beer

Jesse Friedman’s knowledge and passion for all things food and beer are both highly sought after and well documented. Since 2008, his culinary blog, BeerAndNosh.com, has attracted thousands of regular readers and has become a Bay Area institution.  As COO and CBO (Chief Beer Officer) of Almanac Beer Company, Friedman is responsible for heading up beer production, sales and distribution, as well as managing restaurant and retail relationships. He also develops each seasonal recipe, consulting with local farms and sourcing fruit for each release. Finally, he offers deep culinary expertise and credibility, working with chefs to create beer pairings and creating the culinary point of view for Almanac Beer Company.

THAD VOGLER

Owner, Bar Agricole

Thad Vogler is a Santa Cruz native who has been bartending for 20 years.  He has worked in the industry in Paris, Ireland, Tokyo, Guatemala, Cuba, Belize and of course San Francisco where he worked on the opening team of seven restaurants.  Most notably he helped design, open and then managed the bars at the Slanted Door, Coco 500, the Presidio Social Club, Camino, Beretta and the Lounge at Jardinière. Thad is owner of  Bar Agricole which has received many honors including  ten best new restaurants of 2010 by the SF Chronicle, a Beard Award nomination  for best new restaurant, a Beard award for best design and inclusion on Drinks  International’s list of the 50 best bars in the world.