About Us
Kyle Haines, CEO and Founder
Food & Wine Pairing Certification - Fine Vintage LTD
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Through the course of my adult life, I have been obsessed with throwing Libations & Food pairing gatherings with my foodie friends. Recently I decided to take my passion to a new level and bring it to all of you! We hope you try out and enjoy the recipes's paired with the suggested libations. Let us know your opinion about what libation pairs best with each recipe. www.libationsandfood.com/blog. |
Panel of Judges
Gayle Szuchman
Owner of Events by Gayle & Bridal Fete CSW Gayle's passion for events started with a college internship at Sony Music in the publicity department assisting with events for well known musical artists. Always an obsessively organized person with a love for entertaining, travel, fine food and wine, she pursued her Masters Degree in Tourism and Travel Management from NYU .
Her career continued with planning the annual Variety Clubs International Convention at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel followed by many years at the American Museum of Natural History as the Assistant Director of Event and Conference Services. Gayle also has the CSW designation, Certified Specialist of Wine, and can assist clients with food and wine pairings as well as host wine tasting events |
David Noto
Owner of Altaneve During his consulting years, David took time off from corporate life to do a 3-year stint as the Executive Director of GRI, an association of the best Italian restaurants in the U.S., and as the Vice President of the Federation of Italian Chefs.
David attended Columbia Business School for his MBA, after which he founded Altaneve wine company, following over 10 generations of winemakers in his lineage. Fluent in English and Italian, David grew up in New York, Puerto Rico, Ireland, France and Italy. |
![]() Marcel Jinoch
Mixologist My name is Marcel Jinoch and I am a professional bartender, mixologist, cocktails and food lover and huge fan of the bar industry.
After 10 years of working for the best advertising agencies in Prague, Czech Republic I decided to start living my dream. I moved to New York City and now I do what I truly love - bartending. It's very important to mention that I also love traveling which pairs with drinking cocktails really well. I traveled all around the world and experienced many different styles of bartending techniques. I believe I picked the best ones and combined them together. In the last five years I've been working in some of the greatest bars and restaurants in New York City. For example the legendary famous Harry’s steak house, home of Wall street brokers since 1972. I became the head bartender at Feroce Ristorante which was named as the best new Italian restaurant in the world in 2019. During my time behind the bar I satisfied thousands of customers and had a pleasure to serve famous people like Madonna, Sylvester Stallone, Taylor Swift, Russel Crowe, Alec Baldwin, NY Rangers team, Victoria's Secret models and many more. During the quarantine in New York I decided to share some of my knowledge and experience with my friends and followers on Facebook and Instagram and made 30 videos about how to make simple cocktails at home. Cheers |
After 8 years as Keyboard/Vocalist/Band Spokesman with Terrapin, Matt decided to expand the Experience; and headline Clubs, Theatres, Parks and Festivals adding his own unique blend of great music with a fun delivery! Featuring some of the best talent from bands all over the tri-state area, the shows include deep cuts of the Grateful Dead with some other classics thrown in.
Configurations Include:
MC Having hosted the Blues Views and BBQ Festival for 8 years, Matt is adept at welcoming and entertaining crowds from 20-2000. He can also customize his presentation to suit the needs of any sponsor. PRIVATE PARTY Matt is available for private functions , whether playing piano, or just "hanging out" with the gang! During daylight hours, he is a Financial Advisor with Aegis Capital of Westport, Ct , an RBC Correspondent firm. Matthew Winthrop
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