Bottoms Up

Cheryl Stanley is a Senior Lecturer in food and beverage management at the Nolan School of Hotel Administration, Cornell University. She has been involved with food since the age of ten, when she started her own chocolate business, Cheryl’s Chocolates. Following her interest in food, Ms Stanley attended the School of Hotel Administration and graduated in 2000.

While at Cornell, Ms. Stanley discovered her passion for beverages through the courses “Introduction to Wines,” “Food and Wine Pairing,” and “Beverage Management.” Upon graduation, she continued this enthusiasm for beverages and food service in both hotel and restaurant operations on the West Coast, where she worked for the Four Seasons Hotel in Newport Beach and the Wine Cask in Santa Barbara.

Continuing her entrepreneurial journey, Ms. Stanley started her own restaurant consulting company specializing in beverages and service in 2008. During this time, she was also presented an opportunity to become an adjunct instructor at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), where she taught courses that included gastronomy, food, wine, and (agri)culture. Falling in love with teaching, Ms. Stanley decided to pursue her Master’s degree in hospitality and retail management from Texas Tech University. Heading back north, she returned to CIA prior to joining the food and beverage operations area back at her alma mater.

Ms. Stanley teaches courses on specific elements within the field of food and beverage operations, including “Introduction to Wines,” “Catering and Special Events,” and “Beverage Management.” She combines theoretical education with practical operational applications.

Certified through multiple wine organizations, Ms. Stanley has conducted research on beverage costing in hotels, bars, and restaurants, as well as hospitality education, and she has presented at beverage-related conferences. In 2015, she was awarded the Ted Teng ’79 Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award. Ms. Stanley is a member of the Society of Wine Educators and the United States Bartenders’ Guild. She is the faculty advisor for Cornell Cuvée, the blind wine tasting competition team, which has won first place at multiple international wine competitions. In 2017, Ms. Stanley was selected as one of Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s 40 Under 40 Tastemakers.

With over a decade of hospitality experience, Diego Sosa brings a unique combination of theoretical and practical knowledge to Catch Hospitality Group. In his roles as Managing Partner, General Manager, Director of Food & Beverage, and Director of Outlets with world-class companies including K2 Restaurants, sbe Entertainment, Edward Thomas Collection, and Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Mr. Sosa has assisted in aligning the strategic vision of the businesses to the practical rollout of new offerings and procedures.

Mr. Sosa received his Bachelor of Science from Cornell University’s globally acclaimed School of Hotel Administration, where he focused on food & beverage and hotel operations, human resources management, and labor relations.

Born in Colombia and raised in Miami, Mr. Sosa spends his free time with his wife Mitzi, his daughter Zoé, and a pup named Paco

Erica is a graduate of Cornell University, with a degree in Applied Economics & Management and a specialization in Food Industry Management. Her responsibilities include managing the sales execution for the on-premise channel in the top 2700 accounts in the Metro NY area.
Erica’s career in the wine and spirits industry spans many years. Prior to joining Empire, she spent 22 years with the E & J Gallo Winery. She advanced progressively through the Northeast field sales organization in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Maine, Connecticut and Upstate New York, in addition to taking on assignments in Regional Finance and Training & Recruiting. Erica was also instrumental when the Barefoot Wine & Bubbly brands were acquired by Gallo in 2005. As Brand Development Manager for the fourteen states in the Northern Area, Erica created the template for live activation while building out what became a team of fifteen Brand Ambassadors that brought the brand to life, growing the brand to 18 million cases nationally. Prior to coming to Empire, Erica was working at Gallo’s headquarters in Modesto, CA, where she served as the Director Sales Planning for the Popular Business Unit and managed new product launches, allocations and facilitated a seamless relationship between Field Sales and the Business Unit.

Jerry McCall has over 15 years of experience in the hospitality industry, including in restaurants, hotels, and country clubs throughout the United States. For the past ten years, he has been pursuing his passion for craft breweries and distilleries. Mr. McCall is a graduate of both the Culinary Institute of America and the Cornell School of Hotel Administration, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Hotel Administration with a concentration in Beverage Management. He is currently the General Manager and Distiller for ASW Distillery at The Battery Atlanta, where he produces Bustletown Vodka and Winterville Gin. Mr. McCall is a Certified Beer Server under the Cicerone Certification Program and has spoken on the craft distilling movement and whiskey production at the Culinary Institute of America.