Amy’s journey with wine began as a UNC sophomore when she studied abroad in Montpellier, France. Captivated by France’s deeply embedded wine culture, the sacred nature of shared meals, and her host mom’s afternoon rosé-while-vacuuming habit, Amy dove head-first into the study and practice of food and wine culture, ultimately obtaining a Masters in Food Culture and Communications from Slow Food’s University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, Italy. In the 10 years following her return to the States, Amy advocated for organic family wineries in her work in the import and distribution fields. This work further honed her wine expertise, built lasting relationships with small family wineries, and provided many opportunities to participate in and plan wine travel.

A lifelong lover of people and places, Amy is proficient in Spanish, French, and Italian, and has had the privilege of calling France, England, Italy, and Chile “home” along her journey. Wherever she goes, fostering genuine connections with people, traditions, and ways of life is supreme. When she’s not working on, dreaming about, or engaging in wine education and travel, Amy can be found snuggling with her three small daughters or playing board games with her husband Ryan.

Kevin launched Acme Food & Beverage Co. in Carrboro in 1998. Since that time, Acme has been featured in Bon Appetit, Southern Living, Garden & Gun, The New York Times, Esquire, and many other national and regional newspapers and magazines. Kevin is one of the nation’s leading advocates of sustainable food and local farms. His work maintains deep connections to the traditional foodways that are at the heart of the farm-driven food of the American South. In 2016, Kevin was named by Lululemon as one of their 29 American artists and “makers,” and, in 2017, he was chosen to be a Lululemon Brand Ambassador. In 2016 and 2017, Kevin was named the executive chef of Wanderlust Festivals in North America. In Spring 2020, he and his team launched Carrboro United, a one-stop shop for nutritious food from local chefs and farmers during the Covid-19 pandemic. In Fall 2020, his team helped open a new Southern restaurant in downtown Durham called Plum and in March 2021, a Louisiana-inspired brewpub in Raleigh called Heyday Brewing. The father of two awesome young women, Kevin lives in Carrboro.

Erin Upson The third leg under our Italian stool, Erin has spent most of her adult life in the film/media industry - most notably as a producer and Vice President for Ridley and Tony Scott (Gladiator, A Good Year) at their famed LA company Scott Free Productions and her work in NC where she is President of Thunder Mountain Media. She is the mother of three world-traveling kids and will happily lead any runs or hikes in the morning while in Puglia. A graduate of UNC, she has returned from the West Coast to live in Chapel Hill. She’s a serious dancer. But if singing is wanted, definitely ask Amy. Definitely.