Wine & Chisme

Wine: El Potrillo Pinot Noir, 2017 by Honrama Cellars

BIO:

Joshua Santiago is a barber from North Philadelphia that provides free haircuts for the homeless. He grew up in a family that either sold drugs, did drugs, or both. He has been able to turn his life around after spending much of his youth in and out of incarceration. His grew up in a home where both of his parents were addicts and his mother has been homeless his life thus far due to drug addition. 

When he found the opportunity, he ran with it and founded Empowerment Cuts, a nonprofit which allows Josh to go into area of extreme homelessness and cut hair for free. Josh believes that being able to provide a free service to someone that couldn't afford it should mean more then actually receiving money for it. 

They are working on converting a 32 foot mobile home into a mobile barber with the help of GoFundMe and those who contributed to raise over $50,000.

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Wine: Seis Soles Red Blend

BIO:

As a young Latina woman, I have many times experienced first hand the daily difficulties that woman face and the struggles they go through when climbing the corporate ladder. My name is Diana, I am from Medellín Colombia and that used to be my reality, just like it probably is for many of you around the world. Only recently I understood the importance of inner strength, self-esteem, answering the call to help others and most importantly female empowerment. We can only nourish the world with our gifts when we have found them within us, and we can only find them when we believe that they exist. Now that I have discovered them I realized that my true vocation is to serve as the vehicle and channel to give that same confidence to as many women as possible.

Website

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Wine: La Granja 360 (A Vegan Wine)

BIO:

Daisy Romero is the founder and owner of El Cholos Kid, a line of purses and bags that are weaved from recycled plastic with care and love, showcasing the beauty of Mexican traditions through traditional weaving perfected through generations.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elcholoskid/

Popshop Live passcode: baaags

Wine: 2020 Seis Soles White Blend 

BIO:

Meg Medina is a Newbery award-winning and New York Times best-selling author who writes picture books, as well as middle grade and young adult fiction. Her works have been called “heartbreaking,” “lyrical” and “must haves for every collection.”

When she’s not writing, Meg serves on the Advisory Committee for We Need Diverse Books, the grassroots organization working to produce and promote literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people. She also works on community projects that support girls, Latinx youth, and/or literacy. She is a board member of the Library of Congress Literacy Awards, a faculty member of Hamline University’s Masters of Fine Arts in Children’s Literature. Meg lives with her family in Richmond, Virginia.

Website: https://megmedina.com/

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Wine: RG|NY White Merlot

BIO:

Asante Sefa-Boakye, aka, Santé Prince is a local Hip-Hop Artist, Musician, Educator, Mentor, Coach & Philanthropist from San Diego, CA. He has spent the majority of his creative career performing at venues such as the Music Box, House of Blues, the Observatory opening for acts such KRS-One, Slum Village, Black Star, & many others. His passion & performance have found him featured on NBC, both NY and LA Weekly, and several news outlets across the world. His experience has brought him to become the co-founder of his local performing company "Hip-Hop At The Spot" in 2019.

Additionally, he has also lived, competed & performed internationally throughout Europe, Spain & Brazil with Water Polo. He now credits his Greatest accomplishment as creating the first Ever Water Polo League and Program in his Homeland of West Africa, Ghana. It is his hope & dream to encourage and inspire as many Africans, African-Americans, & all people of color to engage in a lifestyle of aquatic health & wellness, as well as in Water Safety.

Through sport & music, Santé Prince aims to Unite and bring the world closer together. As Aquatics & Water Polo in Ghana continue to thrive, Asante now travels back and forth between his San Diego & African Homes to raise funds & awareness for his newly created non-profit "Black Star Polo".

Wines: 2016 Encanto Pinot Noir & 2015 Encanto Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 

BIO:

Enrique Lopez, Founder and Proprietor of Encanto Vineyards was born in the small Pueblo of El Espiritu, Michoacán México in 1961. As a child Enrique grew up learning his ancestral craft of cultivating agricultural land. He was eleven years old when he first came to America with his family and farmed garlic in the fields of Nevada. That same year he attended St Helena Elementary School while staying with his brother Jesus in Napa Valley. Today Enrique has built his successful vineyard management company farming wine grapes for Shafer, Ballentine, Gallo, and Donum Estate Vineyards. Enrique and his wife Ligia produce several hundred cases of wine a year of their family brand, Encanto Vineyards. 

Although, Enrique held his agricultural family history in high regard it was important to him that he received his degree in Chemical Engineering. Enrique graduated from the University of Morelia Michoacán in 1986. He continued to keep one foot in agriculture returning to America that same year and settled with family in Napa Valley. He was hired by Warren Winiarski of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars as a lab technician. In 1987, he accepted a job at Erickson Environmental utilizing his engineering skills. 

In 2000 Enrique returned to the wine industry and founded, Servin- Lopez Vineyard Management Company. At twenty-two years old, Enrique never forgot a promise to return to Napa and make wine after randomly opening an encyclopedia where he read Napa Valley was a world class grape growing region. Enrique’s promise came true in 2008 when bottling his first vintage of Encanto Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon from Rutherford. 

Website: https://www.encantovineyards.com/

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Wine: Herencia del Valle, Merlot 2013

BIO:

Born in Brazil to parents from Colombia and Bolivia, Juan Medina immigrated to the United States at a young age. He was raised by a single mother and graduated from the University of Delaware with a degree in Economics. He also has an MBA from the University of Chicago. He worked for Amazon for eight years prior to launching Lalo in 2020. 

Website: lalo.app

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Wine: Seis Soles White Blend

BIO:

Luz works as a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Consultant. She is a sought-after emotional intelligence expert, speaker and consultant. Through her business, EQ Refined, Luz offers businesses and organizations ways to increase their employees Awareness and Emotional Intelligence in the workplace by attaining self-directing tools, strategies, and training. 

She uses her proprietary G.A.I.N methods to help clients, institutions and organizations unlock the struggles to engage and retain top talent and high performers. The lack of communication and Emotional Intelligence within the workplace leave a gap in, not just communication, but overall performance. By providing resources and practical steps to enhance individuals' interpersonal and team dynamic skills, EQ Refined raises a company’s competitive advantage, maintaining their overall goal of retention of top talent and increased engagement, creativity, and momentum forward together. 

Luz currently holds a seat as a Board Member of Project Innovate Newark, which is focused on designing and implementing educational programs for students in Newark, New Jersey by developing curriculums in growing fields, engaging the students, and generating professional opportunities for them.

Wine: Trader Joe's Pinot Noir Reserve, 2016

Bio:

Veronica was born in Ensenada and has had the opportunity to live on both sides of the border. She has worked in the hospitality industry for over 20 years and uses her binational experience to curate tours through Valle de Guadalupe, the premier wine country of Mexico, located in Baja California. 

Through her work with her company All About Wine tasting, she also brings Baja to San Diego with Baja Wine Tastings to celebrate birthdays, client appreciation events, and more. Her private wine trips to Valley de Guadalupe allow her to collaborate with other professionals and for day or weekend getaways. 

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Wine: LIBERTÉ, Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles 2017

BIO:

Mozo Cruz is an Afro Dominicano, born and raised in Brooklyn NYC. He is a father, husband and person who wants to make the world a better place. He is on a mission to turn toxic masculinity into healing masculinity one conversation at a time.

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