Our fearless Culinary Specialist Emily Martin has spent the past year and half at Sokol Blosser whipping up culinary delights for private and public events, creating Sokol Blosser Gourmet Food Products and entertaining visitors with her awesome sense of humor.
What is your culinary background and how did you end up in the wine industry?
I didn’t get a culinary degree, rather I started from the bottom and worked super long hours studying what other cooks/chefs were doing. Eventually I made it to a sous chef position in Louisiana and was able to start making my own calls and run the entire kitchen. It was crazy. I can’t believe I was doing that at 21 years old. Over time I wasn’t happy with the jobs I was working and truly considered if cooking is what I wanted to keep pursuing. After moving to Oregon for a breath of fresh air, I took up a part-time job polishing glassware and making butchers boards on the weekends at Sokol Blosser. And now I’m slamming out rad food for events and developed a food product line for the winery.
What first got you interested in wine?
I knew nothing about wine before working for Sokol Blosser and NOW I LOVE PINOT NOIR! I think what truly got me interested in wine was watching my coworkers enjoy it. I wanted in on whatever secrets they were sharing about what they were drinking. Being able to sit down, relax and discover what’s in your glass has shown me that patience is what makes wine taste so wonderful.
What do you love about Pinot Noir?
I love the vintage variation. I love that Pinot Noir can be anything it wants to be. And that I can pair it with SO MANY DIFFERENT FOODS!!!
What’s your favorite current Sokol Blosser wine?
UHHHHHH 2014 Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir. DUH. It’s super fruity with lots of zest. You can’t stop drinking it. It’s awesome with roasted vegetables, salads and grilled meats. Just plop me in someone’s back yard, fire up the grill and fill my glass with Sokol Blosser Rosé. I can’t wait for the summer.
Whats your favorite part about working at Sokol Blosser?
My co-workers. I work with a bunch of creative, silly and loving people. We all have these wild ideas of what we want to do at work and how to give our guests the best experiences possible, and we’re all super supportive of those ideas.
When youre not working what do enjoy doing?
Eating. Drinking beer and wine!
Exploring different neighborhoods of Portland.
Hiking.
Click here to check out a special spring recipe created by Emily that pairs perfectly with our 2014 Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir.