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Manuel Gonzalez

Currently head Sommelier and server at Treadwell Cuisine in Niagara on the Lake.
Graduated from the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers (CAPS) in 2016.
Court of Master Sommeliers Americas certified sommelier and received the Walter Clore scholarship and award for best score overall in the examination.
Always excited to learn and work in this amazing industry.

Manuel Gonzalez

Ana Gallegos

Ana Gallegos has a bachelor’s degree in tourism, is a certified sommelier and holds a WSET Diploma. Ana is the founder of Ana Wine Co, the first trilingual blog dedicated entirely to explore wine and spirits. Ana is a judge of international wine competitions, a regular contributor to international publications, and a manager at the Société des alcools du Québec, in Montreal, Canada. Originally from Mexico, she’s fluent in Spanish, French and English.

Ana Gallegos

Shiva Reddy

Shiva Reddy is a Certified Sommelier through the Court of Masters @mastersommeliers_americas as well as a Wine Spirit Education Trust @wsetglobal Level 4 Diploma Candidate.

Shiva was recently recognized as the 2020 Foodie of the Year by BC Western Living @westernliving and was also recognized as the Top 36 Rising Talents in North America by The Art of Plating @theartofplating

Shiva was born and raised in Vancouver BC. She is the daughter of Indo-Fijian parents. Her father passed away from pancreatic cancer when she was 5 and was raised by her disabled mother. Shiva began helping to make ends meet at a young age by selling her Mom's homemade curries and samosas at her school. Shiva ended her competitive hockey career and transition into wine and hospitality.

Shiva began her wine education at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts @picachef where she helped operate and deliver WSET classes.

Shiva's restaurant experience began at Hawksworth Restaurant @hawksworthrest as a Commis Sommelier. Shiva has run the wine programs for some of Canada's most renowned restaurants Osteria Savio Volpe @savio_volpe , Como Taperia @comotaperia , Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar @blvdyvr (Assistant Wine Director). She is also the Lead Beverage Judge for Vancouver Magazine's @vanmag_com Made in Vancouver

Shiva has been committed to making the wine and hospitality industry more diverse by working with program such as Les Dames d' Escoffier @lesdamesbc and The Worth Association @worth.association where Shiva works as a Mentor for young women of colour in the industry.

Shiva Reddy

John Rowden

I am a server at a steakhouse wanting to learn a bit more about wine in general.

John Rowden

Charlotte Big Canoe

Charlotte Big Canoe is currently studying to write her Court of Master Sommeliers Certified Exam. Previously, her background has been in spirits, providing spirits and cocktail training for various restaurants, as well as educational seminars to the public.

Charlotte is the Partner and Membership Director for The Full Plate, a hospitality non-profit focused on providing access to essential services for all hospitality workers, with an intersectional lens. The Full Plate provides a range of services, such as drop-in counselling, curated yoga and meditation videos, legal resources, nutritional advice & food boxes, career advice, financial literacy services, and much more.

Outside of the hospitality industry, Charlotte works in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for non-formal education, providing resources & training to support decolonizing traditional structures.

Charlotte grew up just outside of Toronto, and is Anishinaabe, from The Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation, in Sutton Ontario.

Charlotte Big Canoe

Cara Cishecki

My name is Cara.

Wine is completely in line with my studies in Art History.

Starting with your eyes, looking at a paintings compositions. I’m standing in a church is the painting a fresco or oil on canvas? Now I’m swirling my glass, is this garnet or am I seeing ruby? How is the viscosity? You see where I’m going with this…

Then it’s the feeling. How does this painting make me feel when I take it all in, am I looking at classic strong Renaissance figures by Michelangelo- masculine, austere and so impressive. Or is there more finesse to them, the figures look softer and their faces more expressive- I’m thinking this must be a Caravaggio. This comparison might be how I’d differentiate Sangiovese and Nebbiolo. Sangiovese bolder, earthier and higher in acidity while Nebbiolo more fruit forward, definitely rose elements and higher tannins. They each hold their places, objectively similar but, also, so different from one another.

Finally, history and geography is key. Where was this painting made? What is the historical importance at the time? For what family was this painting commissioned for? Similar questions help us understand wine too. What region does the wine come from? Are these old vines? Where do these vines face? Are these new winemakers who have taken over the vineyard?

My passion for food and vine grew into a profession in fine dining working in the Alo Food Group. However, just like the Art World the Wine World has made little space for black, indigenous and brown people (BIPOC). We have to work twice as hard to hold our space in the Wine World, or to even be considered. So I’m here to change the culture.

Cara Cishecki

Arashasp Shroff

A global traveler, Arashasp Shroff is based in Toronto, Canada where he works at the CN Tower as the Beverage Manager and Sommelier; Arashasp oversees a beverage program of over 500 wines for the highest cellar in the world per Guinness book of records.
He was nominated and won the prestigious, “30 Under 30, Ontario Hostelry Institute Award 2019, Global Young Zoroastrian of the Year and recognized as a rising star in the Toronto.

An alumnus of the Culinary Institute of America, New York, as well as George Brown College, Toronto; Arashasp has received the Wines of Spain Award, Future leader of the industry award. He has also been invited to sit on the Professional Advisory Committee for George Brown College, is the Secretary for the World Zoroastrian Chamber of Commerce Chapter in Ontario, and mentors Hospitality/ Food & Beverage Management students.

In his spare time, Arashasp is a columnist Hamazor Magazine Worldwide & the Canadian correspondent for Parsi Times, a local newspaper based out of Bombay, India.

Arashasp is a regular swimmer, practitioner of yoga & meditation, practices kickboxing and bringing people together through food and beverage. He also passionate about writing, learning about viticulture, blind tasting, and enhancing his own knowledge about the Hospitality industry.

Arashasp Shroff

Nav Sidhu

Nav has 6 years of experience in wine marketing and branding. Having previously worked as a Trade Marketing Manager for a wine agency she understand the complexities of and integration needed between sales and marketing departments.

Her true passion lies in building new wine brands. She has successfully introduced and grown many new wineries and new wine brands into the Canadian market.

With a Diploma in Marketing, a B.A. in Psychology and WSET Level II; she has a unique set of education that is tailored towards wine marketing.

Currently she is working as a Vintage Cellarhand in the Okanagan to increase her understanding of wine and how it’s made.




Nav Sidhu

Diana Claxton

Pronouns she/her, Coast Salish female. Sommelier & Territory Manager for import agency.

I contract out my service for business development, wine list construction, wine training, and private events.

I’m trained through WSET, have a marketing diploma and have a Bachelor of Commerce in Entrepreneurial Management.

Diana Claxton

Olivia Siu

Olivia Siu is a WSET Level 4 Diploma candidate, consultant and content creator at Crazy Wine Asian, and wine educator at Wineflocks, a virtual wine community that helps millennial wine consumers discover products they love. She completed her French Wine Scholar with highest honours and is currently pursuing her Loire Master-Level certification with the Wine Scholar Guild.

She worked at one of Canada's largest wine and spirits distributors, as well as one of the country's leading wineries in the Okanagan valley. Before joining the wine industry, Olivia built a successful marketing and design career in the technology sector with experience growing start-up companies into multi-million dollar businesses.

Olivia grew up in Hong Kong, lived in Montreal for a decade and is now based in Toronto. She speaks fluent Cantonese, Mandarin, English, with a good understanding of French.

Olivia Siu
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