Washington Wine Academy Faculty Speakers

We have cultivated the best team in the area to bring you the most knowledge and personable experts in the wine, beer, spirits, and cheese worlds.

Jason Whiteside, DWS, WSET Certified Wine Educator

Jason Whiteside is currently a Wine Consultant with The Country Vintner in Northern Virginia. Jason was previously a Sommelier & Wine Consultant on the Dutch/French Island of St. Maarten, and was the original Wine Director of Cosimo Restaurant & Wine Bar in Malvern, PA. 

His experience also includes wine making and wine writing. As part of the Winemaking Team at Chaddsford Winery, in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania (the largest winery in the Commonwealth), he helped make both the 2006 and 2007 vintages. He has contributed articles for Philadelphia-based MAINLINE MAGAZINE and FINE FOOD & FUN.

Jason holds the Level 4 Diploma Certificate in Wine & Spirits from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, and is also a WSET Certified Wine Educator.  He is a member of the Society of Wine Educators, earning their Certified Specialist of Wine qualification in 2006. He is also holds the title of Spanish Wine Educator through the Wine Academy of Spain. 

Tom Finigan, CSW

Tom Finigan, CSW has been involved with wine and food for over twelve years.  He came to Washington D.C. in 2005 after two years as Wine Director and Manager of James Beard Award winning celebrity Chef Ming Tsai’s sole restaurant, Blue Ginger.  During his time there he also served as the wine and beverage consultant for seasons 2 and 3 of Ming’s acclaimed PBS cooking series “Simply Ming” as well as the companion cookbook “Ming’s Master Recipes”.  While in D.C. Tom was the Wine Director of the award winning Butterfield 9 restaurant downtown. 

He is currently a Senior Sales Consultant with Washburn Wine Company of Baltimore, Maryland managing Washington, D.C. and an Instructor with the Washington Wine Academy.  Tom is currently a candidate for the Diploma in Wines and Spirits from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET).  In addition, Tom holds the WSET Advanced Certificate in Wines and Spirits, the Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) with the Society of Wine Educators, The Rhone Valley Master with the French Wine Society and has completed the Napa Valley Vintner’s Association’s “Napa Rocks” program. 

A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in music, he is also a member of the Wine Century Club and holds a Black Belt in Enshin Kai-Kan Karate.  Locally, he has appeared as a wine expert on Federal News Radio and the Fox 5 Morning Show.  Tom has contributed articles to the American Culinary Federation and the International Wine Review and speaks regularly at food and wine events in both public and private settings throughout the D.C. Metro Area.

Ray O'Mara

Ray O’Mara is Marriott General Manager at the Aspen Institute’s Aspen Wye River Conference Center on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.  

After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, he joined Marriott Hotels and ascended through various Food and Beverage positions prior to being appointed General Manager.

 A member of the Society of Wine Educators, he is a Certified Wine Educator. Ray has also earned, Court of Master Sommeliers, Certified Sommelier, WSET Advanced Certificate, CIVB, International Bordeaux Tutor, BIVB, Certified Burgundy Instructor, Spanish Wine Academy, Spanish Wine Educator, and French Wine Academy, French Wine Scholar.

Ray was a founding member and past president of the Texas Sommelier Society, and has judged in numerous wine competitions including the Dallas International Wine Festival, the Sonoma County Fair and the Virginia Governors Cup.

A passionate wine enthusiast, student and educator, Ray is presently enrolled in the WSET diploma program and is a member of Tasters Guild International, and the Eastern Shore Wine Tasters.

Jill Zimorski

Jill Zimorski is Beverage Director for ThinkFoodGroup where she oversees the award-winning wine and cocktail programs at José Andrés’ popular Washington restaurants: Café Atlantico, Jaleo, minibar by josé andrés, Oyamel and Zaytinya. Zimorski also leads monthly wine seminars for all seven restaurants within the company.

Zimorski is a Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers and has completed the Advanced Certificate Course offered through the Wine Spirits and Education Trust. She is also a Certified Specialist of Wine through the Society of Wine Educators and a Certified Spanish Wine Educator.

Prior to her promotion to beverage director for ThinkFoodGroup, Zimorksi directed the beverage program at Café Atlantico. The pioneering Nuevo Latino restaurant located in the Penn Quarter is also home to the critically acclaimed minibar by josé andrés. Appointed in July of 2006, she managed and developed Café Atlantico’s evolving wine list that highlighted Old and New World selections. Under her direction, Café Atlantico’s celebrated cocktail program was named one of the most innovative cocktail programs in the country by the New York Times.

Jamie Foster

The more you stimulate your senses, the more you enjoy! This is how Jamie Foster, founder of vinstrategies.com, describes her approach to helping people become comfortable with wine.

Jamie's passion for wine blossomed during her studies at the prestigious Aspen Wine Program, the International Wine School, and New York's Institute of Culinary Education. Through London's Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET), she has been awarded both the WSET Level 2 Intermediate Certificate and Level 3 Advanced Certificate in Wines, Spirits and other Alcoholic Beverages. Jamie also has completed the Winemaking for Distance Learners course offered by the world renown Department of Viticulture and Enology through the continuing education branch of the University of California, Davis. She is participating in London's WSET Diploma program.

Classes and wine tastings offered by Jamie can teach you to use your senses of sight, smell, taste and touch to distinguish the subtleties of wine. With glass in hand, she'll serve as your tour guide as you experience wines from vineyards in France, Italy, Spain, Australia, Chile, Portugal and Germany. She'll also introduce you to domestic wines produced by wineries across the United States.

As a member of the Society of Wine Educators, Jamie enthusiastically shares her passion and knowledge about wine through consulting and education programs. She offers teleclasses as a component of the VinSenses Wine Education Series. Jamie also writes and publishes a wine newsletter and serves as a weekend sommelier at a local restaurant.Jamie holds a B.B.A in Information Systems from Howard University and a M.S. in Technology Management from the University of Maryland and uses those skills by day. She lives with her son in Bowie, Maryland.

Additional Wine (and Beer) Speakers

The Washington Wine Academy is also proud to feature a number of very knowledgeable wine educators in the Washington, DC area. These folks are in the wine business in some way or another as wine buyers, wine sellers, wine aficionados, educators and all love wine in general.

Whatever the event - the Washington Wine Academy has the perfect speaker for your private wine tasting. Contact us and see what we can do for you to bring our love of wine into your home or business!

Carolyn Stromberg

After completing her bachelor's degree from The George Washington University, a journey through Europe opened her eyes and palate to the world of food and wine. Upon her return to the States, she worked with some of the best chefs of the DC region before a serendipitous encounter with the owner of Cowgirl Creamery led to an opportunity to work in the downtown retail shop, assisting with its opening. There, Carolyn learned from pioneers of the American artisanal cheese movement in caring for cheese and pairing cheese with wine, and she began to discover those fascinating stories behind each cheese.

Her path then led her to Cheesetique in Alexandria VA, another one of the DC-area's most acclaimed cheese shops. There, she created a wholesale program catering to the city's best restaurants to create new and develop existing cheese programs. She sourced local cheeses, helped the chefs select which cheeses to offer, and held classes to train the restaurants' staff in tasting, pairing, handling and serving cheese.

When The Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center unveiled its extensive cheese program, they tapped Carolyn and her 10-years restaurant experience to oversee it. At the Old Hickory Steakhouse, Carolyn hand-selected artisanal cheeses, aged them to peak ripeness in the cheese cave, and provided education through tableside cheese cart presentations as well as cheese classes and tastings for the public.

Most recently, Carolyn started The Cheese Course which provides both public classes and private tastings around the Washington, D.C. area. Carolyn holds a certificate from the Artisanal Cheese Center's Master Class for Professionals and is a professional member of the American Cheese Society.

Thor Cheston

Despite initial training as a doctor-to-be, Thor decided to follow his passion for beer which has led him to be one of Washington’s DC’s preeminent beer experts. He built the beer list at Pizzeria Paradisio into a beer bar recognized by beeradvocate.com as one of the best in the world. After further cultivating his Belgian beer knowledge and experience in Philadelphia, Thor returned to DC to assist Chef Robert Wiedmaier latest DC venture, Brasserie Beck. Starting as a bartender, within two years Thor had worked his way to General Manager and in 2010, he partnered with Wiedmaier to open Mussel Bar, a Bethesda destination for Belgian food and beer lovers.

On September 4, 2009 Thor was given the honor of being inducted into the Knighthood of the Brewers’ Mashstaff in Brussels, Belgium. The Knighthood of the Brewers’ Mashstaff (Belgian Brewers’ Guild) is an organization that is a direct descendent of the secular guild of Belgian brewers that works to perpetuate the traditions and nobility of the brewers’ trade.

Thad Parsons

Your Instructor is Thad Parsons a historian, a teacher, and a malt maniac.  Having been exposed to fine beverages at a young age, his alcoholic knowledge matured in the pubs, breweries, and distilleries of Europe while pursuing his doctorate at Oxford and managing the city's largest whisky selection at the St Cross College Bar.  

As a professional historian and experienced teacher, Thad has expanded his enjoyment of whisky and beer beyond simple consumption!  From beautiful bourbons to single malt scotch, Dr. Thad has tasted many of the world's best whiskies and has been sharing his expertise through tasting classes since 2007.

Mike Reinitz

A software engineer by day, Mike discovered a love for all things beer while studying engineering at Cornell University.  Understanding Wine & Beer, an elective class in Cornell’s food science department, spurred an interest in homebrewing post-graduation, and Mike dived into the world of beer head-first. 

Mike is a member of the American Homebrewers Association (AHA) as well as the local homebrew club, BURP or Brewers United for Real Potables.  He judges numerous brewing competitions as a BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program) judge and also runs the Washington Craft Beer Admirers, a local craft beer enthusiast group on Meetup.com.  He frequently travels the country as well as the world seeking out great beer at various brewing conferences and beer festivals, and he’s particularly excited about the burgeoning craft beer scene in the D.C. Metro Area. 

Mike is thrilled to be working with the Washington Wine Academy/DC School of Beer to help promote beer education and give beer the respect it deserves!

Additional Esteemed Wine Educator Partners

Michael Franz

Michael Franz is a wine writer, educator, and consultant. He is editor of Wine Review Online, wine columnist for France magazine, and a freelance contributor to many national and international wine magazines. He wrote nearly 300 articles as regular wine columnist for The Washington Post from 1994 to 2005. Franz left the Post in 2005 to help found Wine Review Online as editor and managing partner. Wine Review Online has quickly become one of the world’s most widely viewed wine publications, now logging as many as two million hits per month.

Franz teaches wine classes for Washington Wine Academy and L’Academie de Cuisine, and is also a wine consultant for 13 restaurants in the National Capital area with combined annual wine sales of more than $10 million.

He has conducted more than 950 site visits and tastings at wineries across Western and Eastern Europe, South America, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. He tastes approximately 9,000 wines each year, and regularly serves as a judge at national and international wine competitions and as Chief Judge for competitions in Washington, D.C., San Diego and New Zealand.

Franz has testified as an expert witness in several cases related to the wine trade in Federal District Court. He has appeared on numerous television shows, and is frequently interviewed on National Public Radio.

Paul Lukacs

The Washington Wine Academy is equally pleased to have Paul Lukacs as our featured wine speaker in our faculty lineup.

Paul Lukacs is a wine writer, educator, and advisor. He is the author of American Vintage: The Rise of American Wine (Houghton Mifflin). A social history of wine in the United States, both its production and its appreciation, American Vintage won the three major wine "book of the year" awards in 2001-from the James Beard Foundation, Champagne Veuve Clicquot, and the International Association of Culinary Professionals. It was favorably reviewed in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and most of the major American newspapers and book reviews.

Since 1994, Lukacs has written features, columns, and individual wine profiles for The Washington Times on a weekly basis. In addition, beginning in 2002, he became the regular wine columnist for Washingtonian Magazine . In these positions, he covers wines and wine making all across the globe. He also has written about wine on a freelance basis for many magazines, including Saveur, Wine and Spirits, Food Arts, and American Heritage. He has traveled to many of the world's most important wine growing regions, and evaluates literally thousands of wines every year.

Besides writing about wine, Lukacs has taught numerous wine appreciation and education classes. Since 1999 he has worked as a wine consultant for restaurants in the Washington, D. C. area, helping select wines for wine lists, pair wine with menu items, and train wait staff. Lukacs has served as a judge at numerous wine competitions, both in America and in Europe. In addition, he is one of the co-organizers and co-founders of the International Oyster Wine Competition, held each November in Washington.

Lukacs also serves as the chair of the English department at Loyola College in Maryland. His academic specialty is 19th Century American literature, and he has published in leading academic journals in that field.

He lives in Baltimore with his wife Marguerite Thomas.

Washington Wine Academy Staff

Jim Barker

The man behind the Washington Wine Academy is President and Founder Jim Barker, whose fascination with wine is as extensive as his experience in staging interesting events- both extend to his college days 20 years ago.

 “Our organization and faculty focus on ensuring that you have a pleasurable, enriching experience,” says Barker. "It's great to give people an opportunity to have a wonderful evening and know that it's due to our efforts."

Alex Evans

A native Washingtonian, Alex graduated from Northwestern University where she studied communications, specializing in business communication. Her many jobs while there included work at an online direct marketing company, work in a press department of MTV Networks, and work at an Australian wine importer, her introduction to the wide world of wine.

Following graduation, she moved to Australia where she worked for a winery in the Yarra Valley outside of Melbourne. Starting in its restaurant and tasting room, she then moved to production to work as the only cellar hand during vintage. From there, she moved to Sydney where she worked for the Australian Rugby League when she wasn’t travelling to wine regions around Australia and New Zealand.

Alex’s other experience includes hospitality and event work, both domestic and internationally. She is very excited to be on board at the Washington Wine Academy as she believes wine education is the single most important part of the industry and the experience should always be fun.

Richard W. "Will" Shore

Will Shore, Volunteer Coordinator for the Washington Wine Academy and former President of the DC Chapter of Wine Brats. Will has been active in wine and wine groups since 1999 and organizes fun, accessible events that allow attendees to begin their wine education in informal social settings. These include bus trips (to wineries and festivals), dinners, wine cruises, food & wine pairings (Fresh Harvest, Carnivore feast), the semi-annual Great Wines under $15 events and is always coming up with new and interesting events.

After serving several years in the US Navy as a submarine officer, Will took a year off and drove around the United Sates visiting wineries and brewpubs where he developed a strong interest in wine, brewing, and a ridiculously large collection of glasses.

Will resides in Alexandria, VA and of course a lot of wine.

Chef Alan Bennett

Alan has joined the Washington Wine Acadamy as Executive Chef. Alan is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. He is currently the Chef/Owner of Robustus Culinary Arts and Wine. Robustus offers Culinary classes in the home as well as wine/cheese and cigar pairings.

Alan's company also does small caterings from  casual to formal. Alan has an extensive background with Marriott and Ritz Carlaton where Alan was a gradute of the Marriott Management Program. Recently before opening his own Company Alan was the Food and Beverage Director for a local Country Club.

Alan has passed the Introductory Sommilier Course with the Court of Master Sommiliers and has recently taken the Advance Class through the Wine Spirit and Education Trust and the Washington Wine Academy.