Tom Stocks is the Director of Restaurants at Taylor Shellfish Farms, the largest producer of Manila clams and geoducks in the United States, as well as one of the few producers of the magnificent Kumamoto oyster and the rare and world-renowned Olympia oyster. He has been with the company for nine years and his vast experience in tide-to-table led him to build oyster bars as well as world-renowned wine lists.

What would you like to have with your oysters? This is probably a common question you encounter when you visit an oyster bar, but when you visit Tom Stocks’ oyster bar, he won’t be asking questions, he will be the one giving you his best recommendations. And he should know which wine pairs well with oysters and other shellfish have been in the business of tide-to-table for nine years. For Tom, a perfectly shucked shellfish is best enjoyed with the perfect glass of wine and he says that he is intent on people following his recommendations because it’s the only way to truly enjoy good food.

In this episode of the Alexi Cashen podcast, Alexi talks to Tom Stocks of Taylor Shellfish Farms about the oyster bar lifestyle and the best wines to pair with the most perfectly shucked shellfish. He also shares how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected his business and his biggest take away from the pandemic that’s sweeping all industries today. Stay tuned

Alexi Cashen is the CEO of Elenteny Imports, a multifaceted logistics company dedicated to growing their partners’ businesses in the wine, beer, and spirits industry. 

Alexi is fondly called the ‘Chief Executive Optimist’ –spreading the gospel of empathetic customer service, sales panache, and meticulous operations. She scours ideas and drives home solutions, strategy and above all else –positivity!

It’s mid 2020 and what started off as another promising year has become an unexpected rollercoaster ride. It's now spring and yet nothing about it feels like the spring that people look forward to. What used to be a time hustling and getting things done, has become a time of restrictions and worry. But for Alexi Cashen, it has also become a time for gratitude and new memories that will stay after the year has passed and many more beautiful memories have started to sprout again.

Tune in to this episode of the Alexi Cashen Podcast, as Alexi shares a memoir she shared through a newsletter she sent out to her customers titled April Showers Bring May Flowers.

Rania Zayyat is an advanced sommelier, wine educator, and gender equality advocate in the wine industry. Her experiences in a male-dominated wine culture during her formative years led her to create change in the wine industry by founding the non-profit organization and annual conference, Wonder Women of Wine. In addition to serving as WWOW Board President, Rania co-owns Vintel, a natural wine consulting agency, and she is also the Wine Director at Bufalina in East Austin.

From growing up in Houston Texas in a family with next to zero interest in wine, San Francisco-native Rania Zayyat fell into her passion for wine and found that she could do more than just drink wine, she could serve wine. She also discovered and embraced her passion to teach people about wine and more importantly, advocate for gender equality in the wine industry.  

Her passion gave birth to a non-profit organization, Wonder Women of Wine (WWOW), where they primarily empower women to adopt leadership roles in all facets of the wine industry. Rania also co-owns a wine consulting firm, Vintel, where they provide consultations for companies who want to make their wine appeal to millennials through stylish branding and product quality. 

In this episode of the Alexi Cashen Podcast, Alexi talks to Rania Zayyat of Wonder Women of Wine about pushing back and making a mark in a male-dominated industry. They discuss Rania’s discovery of her love and passion for wine, her vision for the WWOW Conference 2020 and their incredible speaker lineup, and find out how Rania is keeping the conversation about wine going despite the pandemic. Stay tuned.

Lisa Kalfus is passionate about connecting with people and is currently working on outside the box digital innovative ideas and she is currently spearheading the Make Time Movement, which encourages individuals. She is an incredibly deep and intuitive marketing professional with over 20 years of experience in brand and retail in both the beverage and beauty industries.

Loneliness has been reported to increase mortality by 26% according to a January 2020 report by Cigna and this is incredibly apparent in the workplace. Lisa Kalfus wants to change that as she spearheads the Make Time Movement, which encourages people to connect with others and to take control of their time to make space for their passions. 

According to Lisa, addressing the issue of workplace loneliness will not only make employees feel better, but it will also help decrease the number of missed workdays, minimize low productivity, and improve tenure in the company.

Join Alexi Cashen on this episode of The Alexi Cashen show as she interviews Lisa Kalfus about what Make Time Movement is all about and how she has incorporated its efforts into her own company. Tune in as they discuss the programs it offers, the importance of encouraging people to make time for themselves, and find out the role that wine plays in the effort to reduce loneliness and create meaningful connections.

Mary Taylor is the founder of Mary Taylor wine, a curation of wines set out to demystify the appellation system. Mary draws on her 28 years of experience and is currently hard at work lobbying against tariffs in the US on the wine industry's behalf.

As the COVID-19 pandemic rages with devastating effects on people and businesses, the wine import industry is currently managing losses. On top of that, there is still so much uncertainty about tariffication in the US and while everything seems to be at a standstill, lobbyists wait with bated breaths to see what will come of industry players in the next few months. 

Join Alexi Cashen in this week’s episode of The Alexi Cashen Show as she interviews Mary Taylor, an industry veteran who is at the forefront of the lobbying efforts against wine tariffs in the U.S.  Tune in as they discuss how she got started in the wine industry and the impact of COVID-19 on lobbying efforts and on the industry as a whole.

Paul Mabray is the founder and CEO of Emetry, a company that exists to deliver relevant, accurate, and actionable consumer insights to the wine industry in an easy to use and constantly evolving platform. The company’s mission is to harness the power and potential of digital tools and methodologies to move the industry into the future.

The future for data aggregation, digital analytics, and reporting for the wine industry looks promising but many wineries are still hesitant about going digital. But today’s guest, Paul Mabray of Emetry says that with everything that’s going on today, it’s actually a pretty good idea for wine industry players to embrace the opportunities that technology has to offer.

Tune in as Alexi Cashen talks to Paul about how wine industry players can ease into the digital space, how they can improve their digital footprint, and how they can leverage the connectedness that going digital can offer in terms of client relations.

Erik is a renowned sommelier and was Food and Wine Magazine’s 2019 Sommelier of the year. His career spans 17 years as a sommelier with positions in Philadelphia, Miami, Seattle, and Washington DC. 

Erik has worked with some of the most notable industry players such as the Starr Restaurants, the Seven Stars Resort and Spa in Turks and Caicos, the World - Luxury Residences at Sea, and for the Schwartz Brothers Restaurants. He recently founded SOMLYAY, a company offering full-service hospitality consulting for all aspects of the beverage, hotel, and restaurant industry.

Everybody loves a good glass of wine, and nobody can recommend a better wine selection than a sommelier who has worked with some of the most prestigious companies in the hospitality industry. Why? Because it’s their business to know which wines will tickle the fancy of the clients which in turn can bring in profits for the company.

Erik Segelbaum, the founder of SOMLYAY, is a renowned sommelier who has worked with some of the most notable players in the hospitality industry and he says that while the year 2020 may not be the best year for the hospitality industry, it’s bound to bounce back and come out just as strong as it was before.

Join Alexi Cashen as she talks to Erik about what it’s like to work as a sommelier in a luxury residence that hosts some 150 - 200 people and how his profession has evolved over the years. They also talk about how Erik learned his financial acumen and operational proclivity, what it was like to lobby against the wine tariffs, the mission and vision of SOMLYAY, and how the coronavirus pandemic has affected his industry as a whole.

Adam Teeter is the co-founder and CEO of VinePair, the largest digital media company delivering accessible, entertaining, and inspiring content about drinks. 

Adam has spent almost a decade of his life obsessed with wine and trying to remove the elitism often associated with the industry.

Imagine a world where people are free to enjoy the wide variety of drinks available from all the corners of the world. To celebrate life and enjoy each moment with a glass of something delectable and satisfying. That’s what Adam Teeter and the VinePair team are about. 

Adam Teeter is the co-founder of VinePair and their mission is to make the world’s diverse range of drinks more accessible to everyone.

In this episode of the Alexi Cashen Podcast, Alexi talks to Adam about his early days in the wine industry, the decision to put up a publication dedicated to wines, beers, and spirits, and why he’s so intent about democratizing the wine industry. Tune in to learn more about why Adam is so passionate about this industry and what’s in store for everyone in the future.

Emily Timberlake is a writer based in Oakland, California. She has written about food, wine, and pop culture for the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, TASTE, and more. She has more than a decade of publishing experience, most recently as a senior editor at Ten Speed Press, where she edited more than 60 books on food, wine, pop culture, and humor.

The food, wine, and pop culture media industry are a tightly knit one for readers and writers. While some readers may be intimidated by the topics covered, writers often struggle to carve out a niche for themselves. For Emily Timberlake, her mission is to democratize wine and spirits and to invite writers to write about smart topics in a stupid way or stupid topics in a smart way. 

Emily is a writer based in Oakland, California. She has written about food, wine, and pop culture for the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, TASTE, and more.

In this episode of The Alexi Cashen Podcast, Emily talks about her career progression, the future of wine criticism and how newer writers can join her mission to knock Wine and Spirits off of their corporate connoisseurship pedestal. Stay tuned.

Harry Root is the President of Grassroots Wine Company, a business he co-founded in 2003. Recently, Harry has become effectively a distributor by day and a lobbyist by night as he has put his company on hold and dedicated himself to canvassing as many members of Congress on Capitol Hill as possible about recently proposed wine tariffs.  In a short eight week span, Harry's passionate educational and personal message has gone viral, making Harry an industry legend.

Recently, there have been two tariff packages proposed by the Trump Administration which are deeply impacting the wine industry. The first is the French Digital Service tax that saw sparkling wine from France taxed at 100%, and the second is the Airbus tariff dispute that sees the wine import industry hit by a 25% tariff on wines imported from select countries in the EU, including France. Harry Roots of Grassroots Wine Company has been at the forefront of the lobbying efforts against these tariffs in Washington D.C. 

In his conversation with Alexi, Harry talks about the efforts so far and why the diplomatic handshake of Presidents Trump and Macron  paused the 100% tariff but did not make it go away. Harry also shares why he decided to take on the lobbying efforts and the successes recorded so far and at what cost. As the U.S Trade Representative announces its decision, Alexi asked Harry about his expectations and the next steps. Stay tuned to this exciting episode!