Shelby has been drawing since she could hold a crayon and took her creative cues from her grandparents who had a custom tailoring shop, taught ceramics classes and had a small metal/wood shop in their home. She spent her younger years as an only child making Barbie clothes out of construction paper, singing Disney songs and talking to herself more than she would like to admit.
After a brief stint at Ringling College of Art, she moved to Chicago and studied Art History with a focus on Modern and Contemporary Theory & Critique at Columbia.
All Photoshop ‘skills’ are self-taught.
From humble beginnings merely slingin’ drinks, to Beverage Director and everything in between.
Develop and maintain a seasonally revolving cocktail menu while maintaining a regionally inspired wine list. Develop relationships with winemakers with the end goal of hosting ‘paired’ dinners.
For an annual local culinary festival, develop and source cocktails for themed dinners including those hosted by the James Beard Foundation and teach mixology classes to intimate groups of home bar enthusiasts.
Develop and maintain a seasonally revolving cocktail menu, while incorporating new, and hard to find items in to the back bar repertoire. Create and maintain an award winning and nationally recognized wine list.
Develop innovative and ‘on trend’ beverages for a global supplier of gourmet flavorings. Sipping cocktails is my research.
2016 – Tampa Bay Times, Seasonal Cocktail feature
2017 – Tampa Bay Times, ‘Craft Cocktails|Tampa’s Famous Bars
2017 – Wine Spectator, ‘Award of Excellence’
2017 – WSET Level 2: Wine and Spirits
2018 – Culinary Institute of America, Pastry & Baking Intensive
2018 – Lucid Cocktail Classique – Distiller’s Choice
2019 – Certified Spirits Specialist – Society of Wine Educators