So Here it Goes...

 In an effort to feed my wine and food spirit, I have decided to start writing a blog about wine and food in the Alaskan scene. I grew up in Eagle River, Alaska and moved the "lower 48" (southern California to be exact) for college. While there, I left my path of becoming a Physical Therapist and began to bury myself in wine education. I eventually moved to Yakima, Washington (the new booming location of Washington's wine scene) and started working for a winery. While there, I received my certification in Wine Fundamentals I & II through the International Sommelier Guild and started managing a wine bar. 

 Eventually, the call of my northern home state brought my husband and I back to Alaska and I began working in Cellar Bottle Shoppe, which is located above Crush Wine Bistro in downtown Anchorage. I was initially worried that Alaska could not offer me the wine and food exposure the "lower 48" could. Once I was established at Crush I found there had been a food and beverage renaissance during my absence. (On second thought, there had been some amazing wine and food to be found in Alaska much before my wining/dining time like Marx Brothers and Double Musky as well as Mike McViddy leading people through wine shelves. It is more a case of one's pocket book at 21 not allowing for such good eats and great wines). My point is, when Seattle is 3 hours away and California and Oregon are a hop, skip and a jump... it makes the Alaskan market seem a little dry- ha ha, alcohol pun. I just didn't remember anyone ever talking much about wine when I was younger but now there seemed to be a number of restaurants with a focus on farm-to-table dining, quality dishes and wine lists that made you think you were in New York or Seattle. 

 To my delight, I was able to get in with the group of guys at Crush who have a passion for great wines and are eager to pop a bottle, set out a plate of food and dig in- with discussion, critique and overall geek-out over said wine and food. I was home.

 I've been working at Cellar for over two years now, have attained my Certified Specialist of Wine and Certified Specialist of Spirits through the Society of Wine Educators and have decided to get into the blog scene to further geek out on the wines I drink and the amazing dishes I eat. I guess I came to the realization that my husband and friends may not want to devote an hour or two deciding whether the earth on a bottle is dusty and dry or more damp and forest floor-like. I'm hoping this will allow me to regain my wine focus (the day to day tasks of assisting in running a small business do not always have something to do with the actual craft), continue to build my palate and begin my education on the food side of this industry. I'm comfortable setting wine pairings for food, but would really like to understand the components of a meal as much as I do the components of wine. Though the focus of my blogs will be predominantly the wines I drink- once one gets into this business, it becomes clear that wine and food are synonymous. When I drink something good, I usually want to eat something good and see how each compliments and enhances the other.
 Thanks ahead of time to family and close friends who will have to read this before anyone else is curious enough to do so.