Ron Edwards
Wine Consultant

Although Ron Edwards graduated from the North Carolina State School of Mechanical Engineering he found that serving in restaurants was more compelling. Instead of following his education he followed his heart and became a manager at Sweet Loraine’s Café in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This job led to being the General Manager at Five Lakes Grill in Milford, Michigan. It was here that he was inspired by Chef Brian Polcyn’s vision of excellence to become a leader in the industry.

Through the encouragement of his mentor, Master Sommelier Madeline Triffon, Ron began the journey to become a Master Sommelier. In 1997 Ron passed the Introductory Level Sommelier exam and then the Advanced Sommelier exam in 1998. In 2004 he passed the Practical Service portion of the Master Sommelier Exam and in 2005 he passed the Theory & Tasting portions and earned the Master Sommelier diploma.

In his journeys he has been blessed to be in the presence of greatness and to work for inspiring people. He spent six years as the General Manager/Sommelier of Chef Brian Polcyn’s celebrated Five Lakes Grill. Brian Polcyn and his restaurant have been featured in numerous publications including The New York Times, Atlantic Monthly, Gourmet, Bon Appetite and most recently in the book “The Soul of a Chef” by Michael Ruhlman. Next came Tapawingo and the opportunity to work with more great chefs. They were legendary owner Harlan “Pete” Peterson, Stuart Brioza who was called one the Top 10 Best New Chefs by Food and Wine Magazine, Jean Robert de Caval of Pigalle, Eric Aubriot of Aubriot, Pastry Chef Jacques Torres, James Beard Winner Takashi Yagihashi, local stand-out Dan Flynn and the new culinary leader Jeremy Kittelson formerly of Blackbird in Chicago.

Ron is now working to bring his experiences and inspiration to multiple dining rooms, hotels, and interested students through his consulting company Five Star Sommelier Services.

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