Marie Cheslik is a Wisconsin-born registered nurse, certified sommelier, and entrepreneur. In 2010, Marie moved to Chicago to get her Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and during school, she also worked as a part-time hostess in a restaurant. She loved the culture, energy, and easy access to tasty snacks. She balanced two careers, working as a nurse and at award-winning restaurants, becoming more passionate about wine.
Marie passed the Certified Exam from the Court of Master Sommeliers in 2018, worked her way up to Wine Director at Michelin starred-restaurant, Elske, and even received nominations including ‘Best Sommelier’ from Jean-Banchet, Eater’s ‘Young Guns’ in 2020. She was also awarded ‘Best Side Hustle’ by Chicago Magazine for working as a sommelier and using her Registered Nurse license to help during COVID-19. In August 2020, she created Slik Wines as a way to continue teaching about wine in an approachable and safe environment.
Growing up drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, she understands that wine can be a daunting subject. Having the right person who can guide the way can make the big world of wine a friendly and exciting adventure.
Melissa J. McAvoy has been an Orlando local since 1998 originally hailing from the Garden State, New Jersey. Holding a degree from UCF in business administration and a minor in horticulture a well rounded passionate women was molded. She has been working at Walt Disney World’s flagship resort for 22 years. In 2013 the summer of wine began with her induction to the Court of Master Sommeliers. She had become a certified sommelier in the spring of 2014, and earned her advanced diploma in Spring of 2018. Melissa is an active member of her community mentoring sommeliers, and runs a tasting group to further their knowledge consistently since 2014. She is the proprietor of Swirlery – a wine tasting shop where she can involve the community of Orlando with her love affair of all things wine established in 2018. Swirlery has received nominations for Orlando’s best wine bar and she continues to pursue her love of education, and community daily.
Cara Patricia is co-founder and sommelier of DECANTsf, a wine bottle shop & bar in San Francisco’s SoMa West District. Known for her relaxed style of wine education, Cara’s motto is “Drink for Yourself”, a reminder that regardless of the trends of the beverage world, what you like is most important.
Independent Alcohol Sales Contractor| Brand Communicator/Ambassador.
