Mariko Tajiri (she/her)
Mariko is an interantionally experienced food and beverage professional always thinking about what to drink and eat next. She can often be found slurping sake, wine, coffee and water while dreaming up imaginary potato chip flavour combinations.
She has worked in the industry for nearly 20 years, working intimately with sommeliers, buyers and f&b professionals across Canada and beyond representing premium and artisanal sake and wine portfolios, judging sake competitions and teaching the ins and outs of sake in Vancouver and Toronto.
Creator of Hakko Gakko, school of fermentation and a bottle shop (coming soon!) plus, of course, a WSET sake educator.
Kelcie Jones (she/her)
As a perennial student of wine, Kelcie holds the WSET Diploma, 3IC Italian wine certificate, and is a Stage 2 student with the Institute of Masters of Wine. She teaches WSET courses to novices and industry professionals alike and leads BC Wine Ambassador courses locally. For the past half decade, Kelcie was Wine Director for Chambar Restaurant in Vancouver, where she managed a team of sommeliers and led them to several Platinum Awards at the Vancouver International Wine Festival.
Following that, she opened Elephant on Powell as GM and wine director, which was featured in the Michelin guide and Air Canada’s En Route in its first year. She writes a monthly Wine column for Scout Magazine, and pens other articles on the intersection of wine and literature. Outside of wine, Kelcie holds a Master's in English Literature from the University of Toronto.
Maude Renaud-Brisson (she/her)
Born and raised in Québec, Maude has called Vancouver home for the last decade. Maude began in the restaurant industry as a server and GM, then as sommelier at iconic restaurants such as Nightingale and Chambar, to an importing role with Lifford Wine & Spirits. She founded APÉROmode in 2019, hosting beloved events, and curating a widely distributed wine club. She often acts as a consultant and contributes to wine initiatives, such as the global Tasting Climate Change conference. Maude has always believed in giving back to the industry she loves and is a former board member of the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers as well as a BC Wine Ambassador on behalf of Wine Growers BC.
An original student of the International Sommeliers Guild, she later obtained the Vinitaly Maestro certification and completed her studies with the WSET Diploma program. When she isn't hosting her popular Apéro pop ups, you can find her moderating and presenting seminars at various events such as Cornucopia Whistler Wine Festival. She recently placed top 3 in Canada in the prestigious global South Africa Sommelier Cup competition and is now an ambassador for Wines of South Africa locally.