Our Leadership

Thomas Price is the Master Sommelier at 1856, the upscale teaching restaurant anchoring the first floor of the new Tony & Libba Rane Culinary Science Center at Auburn University.

Born in Pasadena, California and raised in Alaska, Price entered the restaurant industry at the age of 14 as a dishwasher at a diner in Juneau. By 18, he had climbed the ranks to the job of lead day cook at Harry’s, an upscale burger house in Anchorage. Price held many positions in dining rooms and kitchens over the years, but eventually landed behind the bar, where his passion for wine was instantaneous.

In 1988, Price moved to Seattle, working at some of Seattle’s most notable restaurants during the time, including Dahlia Lounge, El Camino, Etta’s Seafood, and The Santa Fe Café. He opened his own restaurant, Luau Polynesian Lounge, in Seattle’s Wallingford neighborhood in 1997. Ready for a new challenge, he sold the restaurant in 2004.

Price turned his focus to studying for wine certification tests and took a job as a server at Seattle’s Metropolitan Grill later that year. He rose through both the restaurant and sommelier certification ranks and was named Head Sommelier at Metropolitan Grill in 2008. Price obtained his Master Sommelier certification in 2012, becoming the first African American to ever hold the prestigious title. He joined Jackson Family Fine Wines as National Director of Wine Education in 2014, a position he held for eight years before joining Ithaka Hospitality Partners and Auburn University to open 1856 restaurant in early 2022.

Price is no stranger to Auburn University, having worked with the school’s Hospitality Management program as a visiting sommelier over the past eight years. At 1856, he plans to combine an academic and vocational approach, sharing his passion for wine and hospitality with students and guests, one bottle at a time.

Price serves as the Chairman of SommFoundation, has served two terms on the Board of Directors for the Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas (CMS-A), and currently serves on the CMS‑A Diversity Committee. When he’s not in the restaurant, Price can be found cooking and playing golf.

Jay Fletcher, Master Sommelier, is the Beverage Director at Matsuhisa Aspen.

Originally from Madison, Wisconsin, Jay Fletcher hitchhiked to Aspen in 1978 with only a backpack and $75. By the early eighties Jay had become an integral part of the Aspen restaurant community working all positions including dishwasher, busser, waiter, bartender maître‑d, and general manager. Jay worked at the dog-sledding restaurant Krabloonik from 1983-1997. In 1996, Jay passed the Court of Master Sommeliers – Master Diploma Exam to become the 30^th American to hold the title of Master Sommelier. From 2002-2021 he served as the Executive Director of Fine Wine for Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits of Colorado.

Jay is one of the founding members of SommFoundation as well as the Cellar Master for their extensive wine collection. He is an accredited Bordeaux Educator from the L’Ecole du Vin in Bordeaux, as well as being a Commandeur d’Honneur from the Commanderie du Bontemps de Médoc, Graves, Sauternes, et Barsac. Jay is Chairman Emeritus for the board of directors of the Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas and currently serves as a Master Sommelier Level examiner for the organization. He is a regular guest speaker and educator at many wine events around the country.

He lives in Aspen, Colorado with his wife, Lynn, and their dog Buckwheat.

Emily Gold grew up cooking and tasting wine with her family and had her first restaurant job at age 15. Growing up in Boulder, CO, she then lived in Montana, Minnesota, Tokyo, Paris, Rome, and worked for Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant in Beaune, France. Emily moved back to her hometown in 2014 and opened a wine-focused French and Italian restaurant called PMG (“Pour Ma Gueule”) that she owned and operated for over five years. In the spring of 2020, Emily and her former sales rep and dear friend Liz Willette Danneels co‑founded and co‑hosted a podcast on health and wellness in the food and beverage industry called The Fine Line: Balancing Hedonism and Health.

Emily lives in Boulder, CO with her husband Matt and their cat Spritz. In addition to loving wine and food, Emily loves to read fiction, ski, hike, travel, and learn as many languages as possible. The three people she would invite to dinner if they were alive would be Kurt Vonnegut, Tupac Shakur, and her maternal grandmother, Elizabeth Morrissett.

Chandler grew up in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida where she began her life-long passion for learning. After receiving her Associates Degree while attending High School, she moved to Boulder, Colorado to attend the University of Colorado at Boulder where she received her Bachelors in Sociology. Throughout college, Chandler worked in many different restaurants from casual counter service to fine dining; this is where her passion for wine began. After college, the pursuit of wine began through CMS‑A all while managing restaurants, and eventually landed a position as a Sommelier at Blackberry Farm in Eastern Tennessee.

Chandler currently resides in Maryville, TN with her husband, Jeremy, and her two sons. She is currently a Certified Sommelier and is still actively studying wine and spirits through both CMS‑A and WSET. She enjoys cooking, reading, and traveling to Colorado and Florida to see her family in her off time. One day she hopes to relocate to her favorite island, New Smyrna Beach, FL.

Lynn Fletcher lives in Aspen, CO with her husband Jay Fletcher and their dog, Buckwheat Kenobi. She has 25 years of experience working in restaurants, including 5 years as Wine Director/CFO for Bonanno Concepts in Denver, CO and 4 years as a Sommelier at Cache Cache in Aspen. She has passed level 3 of the WSET and is a Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers. She enjoys hiking, skiing, traveling, and wine.

A native of Atlanta, Tye is WSET Level 2 and the Assistant Manager of The Purple Corkscrew based in Atlanta, GA. A grant recipient of The Veraison Project, her journey into wine began in 2014. Tavaras is an alumna of Emory where she obtained a B.A. in international studies. She also holds an M.A. in international human rights law from the American University in Cairo and a Juris Master focused on international law from Emory Law School. Tavaras recently finished service as the Chair of the Board for Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards. She loves wine, music, travel, and the outdoors. Tye currently works for BCG Brighthouse.

Carlin Karr, Wine and Beverage Director of Frasca Hospitality Group, has been a member of the Frasca wine team since 2012. She oversees the award winning wine programs at Frasca, Pizzeria Alberico, Tavernetta, and Sunday Vinyl in Boulder and Denver. After graduating from the University of Colorado in 2008, Carlin moved to San Francisco, where she opened the restaurant Sons & Daughters as General Manager and Wine Director. Under Carlin’s leadership, Sons & Daughters received a Michelin Star. Carlin is recognized as an “Advanced Sommelier” by the Court of Master Sommeliers. Carlin has been recognized in Food & Wine’s Sommeliers of the Year 2018, Wine Enthusiast “40 Under 40” in 2019, Forbes “30 under 30” in 2011, Wine & Spirits Magazine “Best New Sommeliers”, and Eater “Young Guns”.

Carlin leads the Frasca Hospitality Group team of 12 full time sommeliers and is responsible for wine education, purchasing and growth for the company. Carlin has been a hospitality mentor for women in wine through Batonnage and is a member of Les Dames des Escoffier. In 2023, Carlin joined the founding team of Benvenusa, a small Italian wine importer, alongside Bobby Stuckey and Lachlan Mackinon Patterson, in the role of Education Director. Her greatest wine passion is sangiovese. In 2022, she launched the Festa del Chianti Classico, an immersive, educational, 2‑day wine festival in Denver with 30 producers from the region.

Larissa C Dubose is a Wine Educator and business-savvy wine and spirits professional with a unique background in business development in wholesale wine and hospitality. She is the National Director of Beverages for airport concessionaire Paradies Lagardère’s Dining Division, including the popular wine bar concept Vino Volo. As the founder and resident wine educator of The Lotus and The Vines, her passion for wine education is clear. She desires to redefine wine culture and bridge the gap from wine novice to connoisseur using the soft skills of wine knowledge and etiquette, empowering a new generation of wine lovers.

Larissa is a Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers, Wine & Spirit Education Trust Level 3, a Certified Specialist of Wine through the Society of Wine Educators, and a Champagne Master Level Candidate with the Wine Scholar Guild.

James Lechner has been involved with restaurants for over 25 years. In 2009, James developed the wine program and helped open Bastille in Ballard with Chef Jason Stoneburner, Deming Maclise, and James Weimann. He did the same in 2013, opening Stoneburner with business partners Maclise, Weimann and Chef Stoneburner. He now works as General Manager for Cavatappi Distribuzione. Lechner has traveled across the world to participate in various tastings and wine-related events. He sits on the Board of SommFoundation, a non-profit organization committed to providing educational opportunities to wine professionals.

Before his career in wine, Lechner earned a Master of Fine Arts in Poetry at the University of Washington and an Economics degree from Villanova University. He is very active on the board the Ballard Alliance, and regularly contributes to various charitable organizations, including Auction of Washington Wines, Auction Napa Valley, JDRF Dream Gala, and others. James lives in Shoreline with his two children, August and Charlotte, and his wife, Rebecca. In between work and home, you can find him pushing the petals of his road bike or hiking up Washington’s incredible peaks.

As a grandson of Sicilian immigrants who made their own wine during the Great Depression, Antonio Busalacchi comes from a family that has been in the restaurant business for over 70 years. The Busalacchi family has established nearly a dozen restaurants over the years in Milwaukee, Mexico City, and San Diego. Initially, “Tony” chose a different career path earning B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in physics and oceanography at Florida State University. Having worked for years in academic and research organizations, he found his aspiration coming full circle back to the family business when he started to study the impact of weather and climate change on global viticulture. Presently, he is an Advanced Sommelier and a Certified Wine Educator, Certified Specialist of Wine, and Certified Specialist of Spirits.

Shilah has been in the global wine industry for almost 20 years, pursuing her interests in wine, agriculture and the global business immediately upon graduating from college.

For five years, based out of San Francisco, Shilah managed the Constellation (NYSE: STZ) portfolio of wineries outside of the United States as the International Marketing Manager (40 wineries, 60 countries, 6M cases). In 2010 Shilah became the Global Brand Manager for Robert Mondavi Winery, setting and executing the strategy for the second most powerful wine brand in the world at the time.

In October of 2011, Shilah began to work for the Jackson Family on their Napa Valley portfolio including Cardinale, La Jota Vineyard Co. & Lokoya and then led the full luxury department of Jackson Family Wines, called the Spire Collection.

In 2016, Shilah took over the internal Creative & Strategic Development team managing all Jackson Family Wines’ design, video production, trade marketing, research, and enterprise education. She is currently the SVP of Marketing at Jackson Family Wines managing their Santa Barbara wineries and the Spire Collection.

Shilah has extensive wine knowledge including coursework at UC Davis, Napa Valley College and completion of the Wine & Spirits Education Trust Advanced Certification program. She has the privilege of working intimately with the winemaking, production and vineyard teams, and is active at home in the Napa Valley community with the NVV and ANV.

For over 15 years Stephanie has passionately weaved through many aspects of the food and beverage industry before now finding herself as the National Accounts Director for Luxury On-Premise with Lux Wines/ EJ Gallo Winery. She’s earned widespread respect in that channel, with Food & Wine Magazine recognizing her in 2010 as a Top Sommelier of the year after she’d built and maintained very successful wine programs at nationally regarded restaurants. Stephanie also brings a vast knowledge of the distribution side of our world with experience working for one of the largest companies in the US, as well as owning her own small, boutique distribution company. Toss in a stint or two working on the supplier side and a wine-focused IMDb listing, and you’ll quickly understand how her wealth of knowledge and passion for the industry brings a unique and very-welcomed perspective to all of us in the not-so-small world of Gallo. Most importantly, she’s a mother of two wonderful children who will follow in her footsteps and do great things in the future.

Early adventures to legendary vineyards and wineries around the world with his family and father, photographer Andy Katz, gave Colorado-native Jesse Katz a profound respect for the creativity and art of winemaking. It was through his father’s work that Jesse recognized and fell in love with the importance of terroir, balance, and the beauty of a winemaker’s influence—landing him on a path he has followed ever since. Today, Jesse creates distinct and nuanced wines for his brands, Aperture Cellars and Devil Proof Vineyards, while serving as a consulting winemaker for some of the world’s elite wine programs. In the time since he began as a first-generation talent out of college, he has become one of the most exciting—and accomplished—winemakers in the world.

Jesse’s diverse experience spanning 23 harvests at wineries (along with a passion for travel) fed his aspiration to learn from the best in the industry. After graduating from Fresno State’s Department of Viticulture and Enology, he spent time studying at Pétrus in Bordeaux, Screaming Eagle Winery and Robert Foley Winery in Napa Valley, and Viña Cobos and Bodega Noemia in Argentina. In 2010, Jesse was the youngest-hired head winemaker in the U.S. at Lancaster Estate. During his five-year tenure there, he orchestrated the building of the new Roth winery, production facility, and tasting room. Behind the scenes, he received 90+ scores on every wine scored by the Wine Advocate and secured Lancaster Estate’s inclusion on the list of Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines. In 2013, Wine Enthusiast named Jesse one of its 40 Under 40 Tastemakers; in 2013, he earned the distinction of becoming the first winemaker on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.

Jesse’s wines have garnered superlative recognition over the years from the top wine critics in the industry. The Aperture Estate Chenin Blanc has earned the highest Wine Enthusiast rating for the varietal in the history of California. With two recent perfect scores from Jeb Dunnuck, Jesse is able to lay claim to producing the only wine from the 2020 vintage to get 100 points and the first Cabernet Sauvignon in the history of the Alexander Valley region to get a perfect score.

Jesse enjoys putting his craft to work raising funds for good causes, non-profits, and charity events. Devil Proof, Aperture, and The Setting Wines actively donate and participate in a large variety of charitable auctions, with numerous cases of wine and custom winery experiences donated to causes the brands believe firmly in each year. Jesse has raised over $5.8MM for charities and foundations since starting his brand.

An alumnus of Georgia Tech, Jay grew up in Atlanta, Georgia dreaming about playing guitar in a rock band (which he did), flying jets (which he did not), and got into the wine business by accident – just like almost everyone else. In 1989, following a three-year, highly educational stint with the Ritz-Carlton, Atlanta, Jay was first charged with creating a new wine program at the 400-seat Ray’s on the River in North Atlanta. Jay found himself completely at home in the study of wine, a field which does not embrace any one subject at the exclusion of others.

After pursuing further education in wine and earning the Master Sommelier Diploma in 1997, Jay joined the opening team of the Bellagio Resort in Las Vegas as the Director of Wine in 1998, where he developed new systems for the management and delivery of wine inventory, selected and managed a team of 18 sommeliers, and provided wine education for more than 2,000 service staff within 26 separate venues at the resort. When he departed, Bellagio was recognized as the most successful single hotel wine program in the world. In 2005, Jay joined Southern Wine and Spirits of Nevada, ultimately achieving the post of Vice President of Fine Wine.

Jay entered a new chapter with a move to the Napa Valley in 2013, taking on the role of Director of Sales for Chappellet Winery, where he led sales efforts in all channels and guided marketing endeavors. Following a year with Larkmead Vineyards as Vice President, General Manager, in April 2021 Jay joined the team at Joseph Phelps Vineyards as Vice President of Sales, where he is overseeing all sales efforts for the legendary estate. Additionally, Jay currently serves as Co‑Chairman of SommFoundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that exists to further beverage education, elevate the sommelier profession, and provide relevant scholarships and educational opportunities.

President, Wine Division & Senior Vice President, Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits

Mel Dick serves as SVP and President, Wine Division of Southern Glazer’s. He joined Southern as General Sales Manager-Wine in 1969. By 1972, he became Vice President-Wine and in 1976 he was appointed President of the Wine Division for Southern. In 1984, he became an owner of the company. He acquired the additional title of Senior Vice President of Southern in 1991. In 2001, Dick received the Legion of Honor, France’s highest honor, for his outstanding contribution to the French wine and champagne, spirits and water industry and was elevated to Officier de la Legion D’Honneur in October 2010.