Rebecca Martin

How does Rebecca Martin spend her days? Making the wine, doing marketing and sales or serving as the "winery chef" at a small winery in Napa. Catch up on her current role and her last ten years.

Questions

Favorite High School Memory The AP Art History trip to Chicago. I was with some of my closest friends and it was really fun to see Chicago from that perspective. I especially loved the surprising amount of freedom we had.

Favorite High School Class Mrs. Peters' AP Art History. She was such a caring and compassionate teacher you couldn't help but love everything that came out of that woman's mouth, she really had a way of inspiring people. If I hadn't already decided to go to Culinary School I would have chosen to switch to Art History because of her.

Favorite High School Activity: Going to watch the various teams play, especially the Lafayette and Marquette hockey games. There was always such a crazy energy on the ice, crazy enough to warrant police presence.

In 2002, I spent my weekends: For the most part I was busy working as a cook at Annie Gunn's, but on the rare occasion I had a night off you could usually find me cruising with Annie on Lindbergh.

In 2012, I spend my weekends: Well, Napa is a essentially a small town, and there isn't a whole lot to do at night outside of eating and drinking amazing food and wine. On my time off I try and get out of town, either up to Lake Tahoe, down to San Francisco or out to the coast. This doesn't happen too often due to the fact that I am one person in a company of three so I usually spend time with my friends eating and drinking... it's amazing I don't weigh 300 pounds.

What I'm up to now

In '05 I graduated from the Culinary Institute of America with an associates degree in Culinary Arts and a bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management. After spending four years in upstate New York I moved to Arizona and started working for Whole Foods Market as a wine buyer, which eventually moved me to Napa Valley, California. After a year in Napa with Whole Foods I packed my bags and moved out to New Zealand. I lived there for eight months working as an Assistant General Manager for a winery and restaurant in Hawke's Bay on the North Island. When I returned to Napa I started working for Chase Cellars, a small family owned winery in Saint Helena. It is just me, the owner, and the cellar master; so I wear lots of hats. My days can include anything from making the wine, marketing, sales, or "winery chef." I feel truly blessed to have found my home in such a beautiful place with my dog Mico, but I do make it back to St. Louis a few times a year to see the newest additions to my family, all my little nephews and nieces.