Sommlight
Hosted by Washington Wine’s Marketing Director David Flaherty, Sommlight is a conversation series that unveils the other side of sommeliers and wine professionals, showcasing their humor, humanity and depth. Everyone knows that when they're on the floor, it's clockwork. What we don't know is, when they're off the floor, what makes them tick? Join us as we pull apart the archetype and see what makes somms — some of the most humble and brilliant humans to grace this earth — feel most alive. Primarily run on Instagram as an IGTV video series with episodes ranging 12-16 minutes, these are the long-form audio versions of each episode. Visit vimeo.com/channels/sommlight for more.
Episodes
41 episodes
Jackson Rohrbaugh, Founder/President, Crunchy Red Fruit, Seattle
Jackson Rohrbaugh on pairing nacho Doritos with Sherry, storytelling in 5 words or less, and approaching hospitality like it’s a ballet.
•
Season 1
•
Episode 41
•
56:45
Brooks Fraser, Front of House, Salt of the Earth Bistro, Lake Placid
Brooks Fraser on moving from the city to the mountains, abandoning law school for bartending, and how transformative deprogramming your life can be.
•
Season 1
•
Episode 40
•
1:03:47
.jpg)
Scott Ota, Co-Founder, Second Growth, San Antonio
Scott Ota on the importance of finding your ‘why’, his extensive record collection and how to score your wins early in the day.
•
Season 1
•
Episode 39
•
1:09:47
Eugenio Jardim, Wine Consultant, Sommelier and Educator, San Francisco
Eugenio Jardim on tennis meditation, constantly being foiled by wine foils, and his unbreakable enthusiasm for life.
•
Season 1
•
Episode 38
•
1:05:05
Tonya Pitts, Sommelier & Wine Director, One Market Restaurant, San Francisco
Tonya Pitts on sound baths, Champagne as one of her food groups, and the symphony level of synchronized service.
•
Season 1
•
Episode 37
•
1:07:47
Chris Tanghe, Interim Executive Director || GuildSomm, Seattle
Chris Tanghe on why time is the most motivating currency, having conversations with his dog, Walter, and riding a magic carpet on his lunch breaks.
•
Season 1
•
Episode 36
•
1:00:01
Chris Horn, Director of Liquids | Heavy Restaurant Group, Seattle
Chris Horn on living his best life by getting pedicures, avoiding multitasking for efficiency, and perpetually falling in and out of love with wine.
•
Season 1
•
Episode 35
•
1:24:04
Kaitlyn Duke, Beverage Director, Bascom's Chop House, Clearwater
Kaitlyn Duke on growing up in steak houses, considering a future in funeral homes, and her surprising love for spiders and snakes.
•
Season 1
•
Episode 34
•
1:08:00
Greg Rubin, Owner & President, Vanderbilt Ave Wine Group, NY & CT
Greg Rubin on his reasoning behind inviting T-Pain to Italy, taking life tips from Jim Carrey, and the similarities between Thelonious Monk, wine, and swimming pools.
•
Season 1
•
Episode 33
•
1:04:30
Cara De Lavallade, Beverage Manager, Enchantment Resort, Sedona
Cara De Lavallade on wind scorpions, below-deck life of a Silversea Cruise, her 1:1 water-to-wine regime, and why there’s no more powerful mantra than: ‘It’s going to be great.’
•
Season 1
•
Episode 32
•
53:03
Jennifer Estevez, Founder & CEO, OMvino, San Francisco
Jennifer Estevez on meditatively running her business, the soothing feeling of vacuuming, full-moon vibes, and maintaining eye-contact with a tiger in India.
•
Season 1
•
Episode 31
•
46:59
Madeline Puckette, Co-Creator, WineFolly.com, Woodinville
Madeline Puckette on bullet journaling, domesticating crows, rebuilding a first-gen Eclipse GSX Mitsubishi, and unworking the world of wine.
•
Season 1
•
Episode 30
•
1:05:37
.jpg)
Nick Davis, Founder, Medium Plus, Seattle
Nick Davis on generosity risks, his love for Red Pandas, being an aspiring master birdwatcher, and the similarities between Jazz and Champagne.
•
Season 1
•
Episode 29
•
53:32
Yannick Benjamin, Head Sommelier, University Club, New York
Yannick Benjamin on what language he prefers to be yelled at in, the one question he would ask his dog, working out 70-days straight, meditating at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and never planning to slow down.
•
Season 1
•
Episode 28
•
1:10:06
Kim Cavoores, Founder, One Kourt Studio, Greenport
Kim Cavoores talks wars with gluten, opening a wine shop in 2020, wearing Dansko clogs, and playing The Ramones while serving free sherry.
•
Season 1
•
Episode 27
•
1:07:43
Wendy Shoemaker, Independent Wine Consultant, San Francisco
Wendy Shoemaker on her distaste for the story of Bambi, Mastering Mechanical Engineering, that one time she tried Guinea pig, and turning down a job at SpaceX to pursue a career in wine.
•
Season 1
•
Episode 26
•
1:17:20
Lenny Redé, Metropolitan Market, Mercer Island
Lenny Redé on building a 6-ft tall Empire State Building cake, the hat tricks of running a restaurant, the smell of cinnamon rolls, and being a high-functioning introvert.
•
Season 1
•
Episode 25
•
1:03:29
Beth Hickey, Portfolio Consultant, Élevage and LUX wines and spirits
Beth Hickey on life lessons from Monty Python, fascinators, parental mise en place, and channeling her great-grandmother, Mabel.
•
Season 1
•
Episode 24
•
58:27
Chris McFall, Advanced Sommelier, SingleThread Farms, Healdsburg
Chris McFall on the kings and queens of the dish palace, riding a spitting camel, keeping consistent, and his experiences selling major league wine.
•
Season 1
•
Episode 23
•
1:04:23
Alisha Blackwell-Calvert, Independent Wine Consultant, St. Louis
Alisha Blackwell-Calvert on accidentally eating horse in Italy, getting into character for restaurant service, ghosts named Mrs. Magruder and her 1-ton friend, Moose.
•
Season 1
•
Episode 22
•
57:10
Annette Alvarez-Peters, Founder, annette a.p., Reno
Annette Alvarez Peters on the importance of making mistakes, why 200 handbags is not enough, and the lessons that helped her become one of the biggest and most influential beverage buyers in America.
•
Season 1
•
Episode 21
•
54:01
Jeff Taylor, Senior Fine Wine Consultant, Morrell & Company, New York City
Jeff Taylor talks the dive bars of New York, a 26 year career and life in the birthplace of American fine dining, and life’s important staples: eggs and beer.
•
Season 1
•
Episode 20
•
59:32
Maurice DiMarino, Beverage Director, Cohn Restaurant Group, San Diego
Maurice DiMarino talks the important difference between body and boogie boarding, wine as art, the intricacies of Google Calendars, and waking up with ideas.
•
Season 1
•
Episode 19
•
56:38
Jill Zimorski, Master Sommelier & Educator, Chicago
Jill Zimorski talks about the art of studying for one of the hardest exams in the world while cross-country skiing, being proud of being loud, running marathons while listening to Lizzo, and why she prefers her bunnies cooked.
•
Season 1
•
Episode 18
•
59:54
