Jade is originally from London, England (and proud of it), though she has called Atlanta home for most of her life.

Jade found her way into wine while she was working as a flight attendant for Delta Air Lines. She became a "Sky Sommelier," informing Business Class customers about the wine selection onboard as well as pairings with their chosen meals.

During the pandemic, Jade worked a short stint at a local wine shop, where she really discovered the depths of the wine world. Thanks to a glass of 2017 Gérard Duplessis 1er Cru Chablis, she never looked back, eventually leading public tastings and private events.

Jade has her WSET Level 3 Award in Wine after passing with Merit in 2022 and is a Certified Specialist of Wine. She is now a Roots Fund Scholar starting WSET Diploma in the fall of 2023.

Eric S. Crane, a Georgia native, is the Director of Training for Empire Distributors, Inc.

He likes to learn and talk about fermented and distilled things. He’ll talk about this stuff to pretty much anyone who will listen.

In his spare time he writes fan fiction about his dogs, watches stupid movies, cuts his own hair, and listens to bad music.

And he drinks a lot of Riesling.

*Editor Note: and he hates writing bios

Emily Mendyka discovered her love of wine while working in the restaurant industry at Barcelona Wine Bar. She now works for a distributor as a sales trainer by day, and lover of wine by night.. and day, and occasionally morning.

She is a WSET Certified Educator and currently finishing her WSET Diploma. She also runs a wine event business, Grape & Gab, with her sister.

Originally from Connecticut, Emily now calls Southwest Atlanta home, and enjoys beltline strolls, time with friends and family, and a chilled bottle of Chablis.

Jason was born and raised in upstate New York and moved to Atlanta in 2016. He has been in the restaurant industry since 1997, where he began as a host and singer at Romano’s Macaroni Grill.

Jason moved to work in a larger and growing market, and has been fortunate enough to work at such establishments as South City Kitchen, Ecco, and Marcel. He has enjoyed working with other professionals who sparked his desire to learn more about service and beverage, and was encouraged to explore various certifications with different organizations. He passed his Certified Specialist of Wine certification with the Society of Wine Educators and the Certified Sommelier examination with the Court of Master Sommeliers in 2019, and is currently studying for the Advanced examination with the Court.

Jason currently works as a sommelier at Mujo, a Michelin Starred omakase only restaurant in Westside Atlanta. He is excited to keep working in service and learning more about beverage daily. He looks forward to being able to share his knowledge and passion with students at OI.

When Jason is not thinking about wine, he enjoys music, golf, films, and World of Warcraft. Let’s do this Leeroy Jenkins!

Elizabeth Dames is a wine director, sommelier, and food and beverage professional who is dedicated to bringing the very best.

She holds both a Level 3 Award from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, as well as the title of Advanced Sommelier from the Court of Master Sommeliers.

Elizabeth has a wealth of experience in restaurants, catering, private clubs, and public speaking events. She is always on the lookout for exciting new bottles to be opened.

If food and booze pairings are the wild wild west--I'm the 30 yr old widow protecting her ranch from gangs of bad taste with a sawed off shotgun of possibilities.

But seriously, I've jumped from pastry in fine dining to natural wine retail, where I fell in lust with sake and fortified/orange wines, to slinging curds at butcher shops. That's where the art of flavor profiles and textual harmony triggered a magical girl transformation in me, so now I specialize in the weird, the offbeat, and the explosive.

Is that a four year cheddar with palo cortado? Or an Asher blue salami with a genshu muroka tokubetsu Junmai? Talk to me to find out!