13 Sep It’s the Final Countdown: Prep for the Somm Showdown
Here at Nashville Wine Auction, we love our Sommeliers. We truly could not do the work we do without them.
Sommeliers are the wine experts, lending their knowledge in countless ways including pairing wines and foods, leading educational events, and carefully creating wine lists and beverage programs. Their dedication and passion for their craft elevates the wine experience for explorers, enthusiasts and collectors alike.
In November, Nashville Wine Auction is giving six talented Sommelier contestants a chance to show off their skills through a series of challenges. The winning Sommelier will be crowned the first-ever Nashville Wine Auction Somm Showdown champion.
Moderator Calvin Webster, DipWSET and Wine Consultant, shared his thoughts on the event:
“Nashville is a growing wine market with a lot of up-and-coming wine professionals, which makes it the perfect place for a competition like the Somm Showdown,” Webster said. “There’s nothing like some friendly competition to make everyone stronger, all while raising money for a good cause!”
We couldn’t agree more.
What is a Sommelier?
The word Sommelier is defined as “wine steward;” the title carries great prestige and mystique.
The Sommelier title takes years of education and experience to obtain and represents knowing all about wine: how to serve it, how it is produced, its history, and how to pair wine and food.
Sommeliers create an elevated dining experience by using their knowledge and experience to pair the best wine with a dish. They curate and manage the cellar for a restaurant or organization and create wine lists that enhance the menu’s offerings.
When you look at the credentials for our contestants, you might ask yourself, what is the difference in certifications offered from WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) and the Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS)?
While both the WSET and the Court of Master Sommeliers provide wine education, the key difference is that WSET focuses on comprehensive wine knowledge for a wider audience, including enthusiasts and industry professionals, while CMS is specifically geared towards individuals aiming for a career as a sommelier, emphasizing beverage service skills and a strong focus on the hospitality industry. The CMS Master Sommilier level is so rigorous and demanding that there are only about 170 Master Sommeliers in the U.S. That said, many who are aiming for a career as a sommelier tend to pursue both of these education paths for a broader knowledge of their craft.
The WSET and CMS are only two of several wine certification programs available to aspiring sommeliers or anyone interested in expanding their knowledge. Learn more about all the programs here in this Wine Enthusiast article.
Meet our Somm Showdown competitors
On November 10, six contestants will compete to be named the first-ever Nashville Wine Auction Somm Showdown champion.
In round one, contestants will demonstrate their wine and food pairing skills by working with a chef to pair a small plate with their wine. In round two, four remaining Sommelier competitors will dazzle the audience and judges with their wine knowledge in a Jeopardy-style wine quiz. In the final round, two remaining contenders will do what Somms do and blind taste 2-3 wines.
Meet the first-ever Somm Showdown competitors below!
LeeAnne Arnold, CMS Certified Sommelier & General Manager, Harvest Wine Market
LeeAnne grew up in Orlando, Florida, but has lived abroad and in several cities in the U.S. including Gallup, NM and Charleston, SC before landing in Nashville, TN. Originally planning to be a teacher, she was bit with the hospitality and wine bug while in Charleston and hasn’t looked back.
LeeAnne has worn many hats in the restaurant industry, from biscuit maker, General Manager, and Assistant Wine Director for some outstanding chefs. In December of 2023, she left restaurants to pursue a better work-life balance working in fine wine retail.
LeeAnne brings her years of fine wine experience in restaurants together with her love of teaching to lead education programming and outreach – for staff and customers at Harvest Wine Market. Currently a Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers, she is working to pass the Advanced Sommelier Exam.
LeeAnne will be paired with Chef Alyssa Gangeri in round one of the competition. Chef Gangeri is a renowned baker and most recently joined forces with UrbanGrub to open, operate and partner in The Butter Milk Ranch. Chef Gangeri was recently named the recipient of the Star Chefs, Rising Chef Award for her contributions to the greater community and talent as a chef in Nashville.
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Cavitt Bradley, WSET Level 3 & working harvest in Willamette Valley
Cavitt is a dynamic wine professional who transitioned from a career teaching middle school English into the world of wine. Her passion for wine was ignited while working at Saint Stephen, where she fell in love with studying and learning about wine and eventually managed the wine program. She holds a WSET Level 3 certification in Wines.
Most recently, she served as Lead Sommelier at June/Audrey here in Nashville, where she excelled alongside a fantastic team, curating wine portfolios, creating sophisticated yet playful pairings, and elevating the overall dining experience.
During her time on the wine team, Audrey and June received a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence and the AAA Five Diamond Restaurant Award. Cavitt spent the summer pursuing a hands-on harvest experience in the Willamette Valley to deepen her winemaking knowledge and is eager to bring her expanded expertise to a new role in the hospitality or retail sector.
Cavitt will be paired with Chef Matt Bell in round one of the competition. After moving to the South in 2006, Chef Bell fell in love with the heritage of Southern food. Currently, Chef Bell is Culinary Director for Big Bad Breakfast. Big Bad Breakfast, founded by James Beard winner John Currence in 2008, has 20 establishments across seven states.
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Alex Burch, CMS Advanced Sommelier & Owner, Bad Idea
Raised on a small farm in Centerville, Iowa, Alex initially pursued a passion for music and studied audio at the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences in Phoenix, AZ, and moved to Nashville, TN, to pursue an internship with Omni Sound Studios. He began his career working in the restaurant industry at Nashville steakhouse, Kayne Prime, where he worked for two years in front-of-house positions. After joining blind wine tastings as part of his training, he was so inspired by a world that intertwined history, science, art, and geography, that he underwent his introductory and certified exam with the Board of Master Sommeliers.
In 2016, Alex joined award-winning restaurant Bastion as Wine Director, developing an outstanding wine list to accompany the concept’s innovative tasting menu. In 2019, he passed his Advanced Sommelier Exam from the Board of Master Sommeliers and expanded his role within Strategic Hospitality to oversee the wine program at Henrietta Red, and offered virtual guided tastings and wine classes during the pandemic of 2020.
Bad Idea, which was recently named to the New York Times’s Top 50 Restaurants List, allows Alex to blend all of his passions into one concept. The restaurant offers opportunities to promote exploration through food, and of course, wine, encouraging guests to discover new grape varieties, flavors, and places as well as dive even deeper into areas in which they might be familiar.
Alex will be paired with Chef Marino Bianchi, executive chef for Joe Muer Seafood. Chef Bianchi brings a wealth of culinary expertise and innovation to Joe Muer Seafood through his time cooking in local kitchens such as Chauhan Ale and Masala House, Moto and Urban Grub. Known for his rustic cooking style, Chef Bianchi draws inspiration from the changing seasons and elements of nature. With a passion for fresh, locally sourced ingredients and a flair for crafting tantalizing dishes, Chef Bianchi elevates the Joe Muer experience.
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Daniel Fish, CMS Certified Sommelier, WSET Level 2 & Director of Wine and Beverage for Sushi Bar Hospitality Group
Currently Director of Wine and Beverage for Sushi Bar Hospitality Group, Daniel has been a hospitality professional for 26 years, and a Wine Director / Sommelier for more than 15 years.
His career in wine began as the Wine Director of the iconic 2-star Michelin restaurant Aqua in San Francisco at 27 years old. Just prior to Sushi Bar, Daniel spent five years as the Director of Wine at the Rosewood Miramar Beach Resort in Montecito, California where he grew the wine program from infancy to over 2,800 selections and held many renowned wine dinners.
Daniel is impassioned by his love of food and wine, and thoroughly enjoys connecting with guests, conversing about food, wine and travel. Daniel’s ultimate objective and most rewarding result is creating meaningful experiences and lasting relationships with guests offering outstanding food, wine, sake and beverage selections.
In round one, Daniel will be paired with Chef Deb Paquette. Chef Paquette is well known in Nashville where she’s lived and worked for the last thirty plus years. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, she became the first woman in Tennessee to qualify as a certified executive chef. Her current venture, Etch, is a globally-inspired restaurant by award-winning Chef Paquette. Located in lively downtown Nashville, the modern restaurant houses two private dining rooms, full bar, and a chef’s bar where guests are encouraged to interact with Chef Paquette.
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Kaitlin Green, CMS Certified Sommelier & Lead Somm at Hall’s Chophouse
Kaitlin was born in Atlanta, Georgia but her career as a food and beverage professional started in Philadelphia. After working in numerous fine dining establishments, Kaitlin fell in love with wine. Her sommelier career started with Hyatt Hotels across Philadelphia to San Diego, California for 4 years until coming back East with Hall Management Group. After starting with a Chophouse location in Columbia, South Carolina, she was able to move to Nashville to be a part of a booming city for food and wine. As her husband is a Sous Chef for Henrietta Red, her days off are filled with cooking and continuing to explore Nashville.
Kaitlin will be paired with Chef Jason La Iacona for round one of the competition. After more than a decade in Nashville, Chef La Iacona spent extensive time with two of the city’s leading restaurant groups; in turn, fine tuning his personal style of leadership and expanding his culinary education. At this stage in his career, Chef La Iacona takes great responsibility in creating a healthy work environment and culture that can foster the best of people and promote the most growth for a positive future of the hospitality industry. Chef La Iacona is currently the Chef at Miel, a locally sourced and seasonally driven food-lovers favorite in West Nashville.
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Phillip Patti, DipWSET, CMS Certified Sommelier & Owner, Southeastern Beverage Education
For the last twenty-two years Phillip Patti has immersed himself in the world of wine, spirits and beer, with a breath of professional experience that includes work in vineyards, restaurants, education, retail, distribution and production. He holds the WSET Diploma in Wines and Spirits, the WSET Level 3 Award in Spirits, he is a Certified Educator for WSET, a Certified Sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers, and a certified Rioja and Sherry Educator.
In 2018, he established Southeastern Beverage Education to promote drinks education in the South, centered around Nashville, Tennessee. The teaching of Wine and Spirits Education Trust courses, and tastings for both professionals, hobbyists and lay people have given Nashville access to world-class educational opportunities.
Phillip is actively involved in the Nashville Wine Auction, with participation in many events as the lead sommelier. This volunteer work had led to a deep connection to the most important wine figures in Nashville, and the chef’s, other sommeliers, and restaurant professionals who have the pleasure of supporting this activity.
He has been a Maitre d’Hotel for the International Pinot Noir Celebration in McMinnville, Oregon for 18 years. As a part of a 40-sommelier team, they deliver wine service and hospitality to 800 guests over a 3 day weekend through various meals, educational seminars, and winery-hosted lunches.
In round one of the competition, Phillip will be paired with Chef Jason Lockman. Chef Jason Lockman has been cooking for over 20 years, bringing a wealth of experience from kitchens across California, Alaska, and Utah. From West Coast flavors to the unique ingredients of Alaska and the mountain cuisine of Utah, Chef Lockman currently brings a rich, dynamic style to every dish at Lockeland Table in East Nashville.