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 a 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 including 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 with 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.
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 En Route in its first year. She writes about wine 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.
Jenna Briscoe (she/her)
Jenna has worked in various areas of the wine industry from hospitality to business consulting. She successfully completed the Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET) Diploma in 2018 and is an instructor for the programme in Vancouver. In 2019 she completed the WSET Educator Training Programme. She is the Project Director for Top Drop Canada, a terroir focused wine festival in Vancouver, Victoria and Calgary. She is an international wine judge for competitions such as 5 Star Wines and the Judgment of BC. She has been a student in the Master of Wine programme and became a VinItaly Italian Wine Ambassador in 2018.
Her time as a sommelier has been spent working in several restaurants, including Vancouver’s own Hawksworth and Elisa and abroad at Medlar and Lorne in London, England. Jenna’s home is as the General Manager of Café Medina in Vancouver, Canada, where she has built anaward-winning team over the last 9 years. In 2016, she was recognized by Vancouver Magazine as one of the top six front-of-house ‘All-Stars ’in the Vancouver scene.