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Master sommelier is a difficult title to achieve. Jeffrey Birkemeier has been after it for 10 years.
Four stemmed glasses, a paper cup and two bags containing wine bottles wait on a table in an empty Salinas restaurant. It’s a clear, sharp, la…
Jeffrey Birkemeier’s preparation for the master sommelier examination involves several different exercises, including flashcards that prompt h…
Throughout the year, Birkemeier takes a few minutes during a day to test his palate. Here he takes notes on the grid, a paper that helps disse…
One day, somewhere, someone placed a scoop of ice cream between baked goods.
Somewhere a diabolical chef is huddled over a grill, tossing Flamin’ Hot seasoning over strips of Wagyu beef. Another is preparing Flamin' Hot…
The equation is pretty straightforward. Open a wine market and restaurant, add dinner service, divide time between running a business and stud…
The eternal question of who first thought to dip a burrito into a vat of hot oil has defeated the finest minds. And since scholarship has deem…