Grape Ventures LLC presents

GrapeEvents™! 

"Education NOT Intimidation!"

SmartWoman

Magazine

slow food Baltimore

Monyka Berrocosa-Marbach

Monyka Berrocosa-Marbach is making her mark on the food and wine scene in the Baltimore – Washington – Philadelphia area.  A rich world-wide background with restaurateurs, food producers, wine makers, and brew masters; and a passion for helping people discover the pleasures of the table and the joys of “Enjoying Life!” are the elements that make Ms. Berrocosa-Marbach an exciting force in the appreciation food and wine both locally produced and imported. An independent food and wine consultant and educator, she has owned and operated Grape Ventures LLC since 2000.

 Called “M” by her friends, Ms. Berrocosa-Marbach has lived food and wine since birth. Having a successful Sommelier and restaurateur father, M jokes she gained much of her knowledge through simple osmosis.  Raised in Canada, M pursued degrees in Psychology and Management at Montreal’s prestigious Concordia and Mc Gill Universities graduating with honors in 1995. After some boring years behind a desk, she gravitated to her roots and has worked in the food and wine industry as an advocate, consultant, and leader on both sides of the Atlantic ever since. She has a personal relationship with hundreds of food and wine producers in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Canada, and across the US, with a particular fondness for products from her adopted home, Maryland. She has extensive event planning experience in both the for and non profits sectors ranging from small intimate affairs that host 15 to large scale events attended by 1200+.

 M started her Mid-Atlantic food and wine business, Grape Ventures LLC, in 2000. Grape Ventures specializes in producing high end, educational and entertaining food and wine events for both the business community and general public. Her credo is “Education not Intimidation” and her popularity is contagious, as she loves to empower rather than intimidate. Grape Ventures also provides marketing and public relations consulting services to a variety of businesses but specializes in food and wine related interests. Her Website, www.grapeevents.com, is a clearinghouse for independent information about food and wine in and around Baltimore, Maryland.  Currently more than 600 individuals and businesses subscribe to her quarterly wine newsletter, Travel By The Glass, tagged “A newsletter for people who love to eat, drink, travel and enjoy life”.

 In 2000, M created the Slow Food Baltimore Chapter here in Maryland.  Through Slow Food, M offers artisan food and wine producers a platform for connecting with wider audiences as well as with the media through regularly scheduled events.  Slow Food’s goals are aligned with hers in their mission to have people take the time to better know and enjoy the foods and wines that are accessible to them.  She was one of few US delegates who represented Slow Food USA at the 4^th International Worldwide conference (held only every 6 years) in Napoli, Italy this November 2003. Fellow delegates include the likes of Alice Waters, Dr. Marion Nestle, Deborah Madison, Andrew Quady, Patrick Martins and Ben Watson. Her inclusion in this group certifies her knowledge, ability and passion to communicate the importance of celebrating the “Pleasures of the Table” every day.

 M has been the Baltimore Chapter Director of the National Taster’s Guild, a society of food and wine enthusiasts since 2001.  She is a regular at tasting events in the US (specifically NY and the West Coast), Canada, and throughout Europe and has a particular fondness for European and South African wines.

 With an ever-expanding circle of her followers, M is a highly sought after teacher and media personality. A former fashion model for over 12 years both in Canada and Europe, she is extremely comfortable speaking in public or appearing on TV or in print.  She gives frequent classes on wine and food in venues around the Mid-Atlantic, as well as in Montreal, Canada. M is featured regularly in print as a monthly columnist for Smart Woman magazine (Smart Taste) and on-air media programs throughout the region. She recently became a frequent contributor to WBAL in Baltimore, MD and can be heard every Wednesday morning on WAMD 970AM as a guest on Bill Thomas’s morning show during 6-7AM. She regularly hosts wine classes and events throughout a variety of locations in Baltimore as well as the Mid Atlantic region and Montreal, CA.

 Not only an extremely knowledgeable professional in the field, M is a gifted teacher as well. “Education, not intimidation,” is her credo.  She has a gift in her ability to help people expand their taste experience with an understanding of food and wine while putting them at ease so they can participate and enjoy.